Consulting Heroes
by AglonAuthor
Summary: What if different people solved Sherlock and John's cases? How would things go if the sleuth of the twenty-first century and the blogger didn't solve the cases but some others did? (Involves superheroes) Sherlock characters do show up! 24 chapters.
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

_-.-.-.1998.-.-.-_

_"Come on!" yelled an enthusiastic teenager to her comrades. Her bright blue eyes danced in the sunlight, her smile bright and genuine. Elizabeth Pennies was fourteen years old and it was the first Monday off from school since school began, and Elizabeth Pennies, Lily Falda, and Parker Kiehof were going to spend it together as friends on a camping trip._

_Elizabeth was trying to get the others to get out of the house and hurry up. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail, her flip-flops smacking against her feet with each step. Parker Kiehof – well, her real name was Marie, Parker was her nickname – hurried out of the house and tossed her duffle-bag into the truck of the car._

_Parker brushed her hands and smiled in accomplishment, her dimples clear and obvious. She flicked her blonde bangs out of her face, annoyed with her short hair cut. It was longer than a pixie cut, but still qualified as one. She was only thirteen, not at the same school as Elizabeth or Lily. She turned towards the house. "Hurry up, Lily!" she yelled._

_"I'm coming!" Lily insisted, coming out of the door with her arms filled with bags. Her chest length black hair was straight and slick. Her dark brown eyes looked almost all pupil. She stepped towards the car and shoved all of the bags in the trunk._

_-.-.-.-.-.-.-_

_Lily, Elizabeth, and Parker had decided to go on a hike that evening, but didn't think it through. They didn't know it would rain. But here they were, running as fast as they could back toward the campgrounds. None of them had brought rain jackets or umbrellas and it was coming down hard. Lily rushed ahead, running as fast as her legs could take her. Elizabeth had fun with the situation and jumped across logs and over boulders. Sometimes it even seemed as if she were flying as she jumped through the trail. Parker merely trundled along, thinking to herself._

_Far above their heads, unknowing to the situation, an alien ship exploded, having gotten far overheated. A majority of the debris merely stayed in space, not straying too far. The alien oil powering the ship, however, fell through the atmosphere, merging with the rain and falling down on the exposed trio of friends. They didn't notice it for several days, but the three of them had gained supernatural powers in this event._

_-.-.-.1999.-.-.-_

_Parker – or Nightingale, who was her alter ego she was currently dressed as – looked up at the giant doombot looming ominously over her. Crystal and Wonder – Lily and Elizabeth – tried to keep the other, smaller doombots busy. "Parker," said Lily. "Have you ever destroyed something from the inside?"_

_Parker understood. She ran forward and used her gadgets to climb up the side of the leader doombot. Nightingale jumped in through the top and began to pull on some levers, thinking it through in her super-mind. "Parker!" Lily screamed. "Get out, get out now!"_

_Parker didn't wait for an explanation. She pulled herself up out of the doombot. She didn't care how far off of the ground she was, Crystal sounded serious. Nightingale took a leap off of the metal robot top, but not soon enough. Guns fired as the doombot shot itself, trying to get rid of Parker. It blew up in a flurry of flames and metal, catching Parker in the commotion. She yelled in pain as her shoulder was engulfed in fire and metal._

_Parker tumbled to the ground and rolled several yards away, crying out. She didn't remember much of what happened next. All she knew was she was injured, and she never saw the rest of the Golden Trio team again._

1: A Study in Pink - Part I

Parker tossed and turned in bed. All she saw were the bots. She saw the doombots swarming in from all angles, surrounding her and her fellow heroes. People screamed, children cried, lasers shot, blowing up every building in their path. She climbed to the top of the main doombot. There were screams. She jumped out of the robot as it exploded, catching her body in a storm of fire and metal. When she heard her name being called out in her nightmare, Parker jolted awake, distressed and panic-stricken. She sat up in her bed, wide-eyed and breathing heavily until she realised that she was safe and a long way from the the robot invasion. Flopping back onto her pillow, she tried to calm her breathing as she continued to be haunted by her memories. Eventually, unable to stop herself, she began to weep silently.

Later that day, she visited her psychotherapist's office and she sat in a chair opposite of her. "How's your blog going?" asked Katie.

Parker was silent for a moment. "Blog? Oh! Right, blog…um…yeah…Good, it is…still good…"

Katie scribbled some things down. "You share the same website as two of your friends, correct?"

Parker nodded. "Yeah. But they haven't written since…never…"

"You haven't written a word, have you?" asked Katie after a small silence.

Parker gestured towards her psychotherapist's notepad. "You wrote down 'trust issues'," she said, trying to change the subject.

Katie sighed, setting aside her notes. She leaned forward, arms on her knees. "Marie–"

Parker made a subtle coughing noise.

"–Parker," Katie corrected, using her nickname, "you have two completely different identities. You've trusted me of all people with this information and I'm glad you really do trust me like that. You fought in a battle when you were young, Parker. It will take a while to adjust to civilian life; and writing a blog about everything that happens to you will honestly help you."

Parker tapped her fingers on her crutch, shaking her head. "Nothing ever happens to me."

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

In Russell Square Park, Parker limped briskly through the park, leaning heavily on her cane at her side. As she walked past a woman around her age sitting on the bench, the girl stared after her, clearly recognising Parker. "Hey!" she called out. Parker turned around. "Is that you? Parker, is that really you?"

Parker blinked. "Elizabeth?" Elizabeth grinned.

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, I still can't believe it's you!" She grinned, not really sure whether to hug her friend or shake her hand. "So how've things been? Haven't seen you since…you know…doombots. Rumour had it you got injured." Her eyes flickered towards Parker's crutch momentarily. "So what really happened?"

Parker shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I got injured.

They both looked embarrassed.

A little later they had bought some hot chocolate and were sitting side by side on a bench in the park. Elizabeth looked at Parker worriedly. Oblivious, the former hero took a sip from her cocoa then looked across to her old friend.

"So what have you been doing?" she asked. "Been keeping up the Wonder name or have we both dwindled away?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I write. Just some children's stories. Not quite enough pay to be completely on my own. You?" she asked before Parker could question.

Parker copied Elizabeth's shrug. "Became a doctor. Haven't found the right job though. Just living in a bedsit. Tiny…bedsit…On my own…Yeah…"

"Couldn't Wesley help?" Elizabeth suggested quietly.

Parker humphed. "Yeah right. He's got his own family to look out for. Doesn't need to worry about his kid sister."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Surely you could come up with something. Get a flat-share or…somethin'."

Parker scoffed. "Really, who'd want me for a flatmate?"

Elizabeth looked slightly surprised. "That's the second time this week I've been in this situation." Parker looked towards her fellow hero, a bit confused. "I managed to sort out the first one."

"…Who was the first one?"

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

Lily sat in her make-shift lab at Saint Bartholomew's Hospital. To be completely honest, she had no clue what she was doing. She promised the Inspector she'd have evidence by friday and she only had a day left. Two people walked in and she knew the first woman yet it took a few moments for her to realise who the second was. Lily glanced across at them both and did not look back at her work again. Parker limped into the room, looking around at all the equipment.

"Well…a bit different from our day," she said, looking at Elizabeth. Elizabeth shrugged.

"Liz, can I borrow your phone?" asked Lily.

"Is there something wrong with the landline?"

"No, I just like texting better."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Sorry, left mine at the flat."

Parker reached into her back pocket. "Here," she said, fishing out an iPhone, "you can use mine."

Lily looked at the phone. "Oh! Well then…thanks…"

Elizabeth stepped in, trying to make the situation a bit more comfortable. "Well then, this is Marie Kiehof." Parker couldn't ignore the feeling in the back of her mind that said she already knew who this lady was. Why did Parker have deja vu?

Lily smiled briefly. "How do you feel about piano nowadays, Parker?"

Parker was slightly confused. "Why do you ask? Wait, how can you possibly know my nickname?"

"Elizabeth's constantly playing so I hope you like it," Lily said, completely ignoring Parker's question. "Would that bother you? Potential flatmates should know the worst about each other," said said, gesturing to everyone in the room.

Parker stared at Lily then turned to Elizabeth. "So you told her about me?"

Elizabeth folded her arms and leaned against the table, looking smug with herself. "Nope."

Parker turned towards Lily. "Then who said anything about flatmates?"

"I did," said Lily, donning her coat. "I told Elizabeth earlier this week that I must be a difficult person to find a flatmate for. She helped me out and became my flatmate. We still didn't have enough money and needed another person to split the share. Now here she is just after lunch with an old friend who's been through battles most people would never have dreamed."

"How do you know about the battles?" wondered Parker, worried this woman might find out who she really is.

Lily ignored the question. "Liz and I have got our eyes on a nice little place in central London. All together we ought to be able to afford it." She walked towards Parker. "We'll all meet there tomorrow evening; seven o'clock. Sorry – gotta dash. I need to inform the Inspector that Elizabeth got a break through in our becoming of detectives."

Lily slipped out the door but Parker stopped her. "How do you know all this? You know about me but I don't know about you, is that how things work now? You said piano nowadays, as if you knew me before." Parker was very serious. "I don't know where we're meeting and I don't know your name." Parker still had the thought that she recognised this woman from somewhere.

Lily stuck her head back in the door. "The name's Lily Falda, AKA Crystal. The address is 313G Kaber Street. See ya later, Nightingale. By the way, sorry I never had the chance to congratulate you on your new younger sister. Tell Wesley good job on getting a family. Oh, and your limp's psychosomatic." She strode out the door and Parker turned to Elizabeth in shock.

"Lily? Lily Falda? Crystal? Our Lily?!"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yep…Golden Trio reunited."

Parker turned and stared back at the door, still in shock. That's how she knew all about her.

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

Parker limped along the road and reached the door marked 313G just as a black cab pulled up at the kerb. Parker knocked on the door as Lily and Elizabeth got out of the cab. "Hi," said Elizabeth with a grin. Parker nodded, smiling. "You don't have to be so formal ya know. We are friends."

"Were friends," she muttered quietly.

"Hm?" Lily wondered, not catching that.

"Nothing," Parker assured. "Well, this is a prime spot," she said, changing the subject. "Must be expensive."

"Oh, it doesn't cost as much as it seems. We got a good deal. The landlady, Mrs. Coleman, owes us all a favour," said Elizabeth. "During the doombot invasion we didn't know it but we saved her life."

"We saved lots of lives," Parker said. "Wait, did you tell her we're the Golden Trio?"

The door opened and an older lady was in the doorway. "Oh, Elizabeth, Lily, hello!" she said kindly. She put out her arms and hugged the two of them, first Elizabeth, then Lily.

"Mrs. Coleman," said Lily, gesturing towards Parker, "Doctor Marie Kiehof, the third member of the Golden Trio, Nightingale."

"Hello," Parker said politely.

"Please, come in," Mrs. Coleman said, stepping aside. Elizabeth nodded in thanks and the Trio went inside the building and Mrs. Coleman closed the door behind them. Lily and Elizabeth trotted up the stairs to the first floor, then Elizabeth made Lily pause and wait for Parker to hobble upstairs towards them. "Just like the good old days, huh?" said Parker. "Leaving me behind again?" As Parker reached the top of the stairs, Lily opened the door ahead of her and walked in, revealing the living room of the flat. Parker followed her in and looked around the room and at all the possessions and boxes scattered around it.

"Well," said Parker, "it's…nice."

Elizabeth nodded. "Lily refuses to clean up her junk though," she sighed. "I'm just imagining what things will be like once you move in. Remember when he had to clean your room when you were twelve? We filled up three trash-bags!"

Parker chuckled. "And you broke my homemade clock."

"Still holding a grudge about that?" Lily asked with a grin.

"Well, I've gotten better at keeping clean and organised."

Elizabeth and Lily walked across the room and made a half-hearted attempt to tidy up a little, throwing a couple of folders into a box and then Lily took some apparently unopened envelopes across to the fireplace where she put them onto the mantelpiece and then stabbed a pocketknife into them. Parker noticed something else on the mantelpiece and lifted her cane to point at it. "Is that what I think it is?" she asked. Lily looked at it and Elizabeth glanced over.

"Depends," said Elizabeth. "What do you think it is?"

"It's just a souvenir from one of my singlehanded battles," said Lily, gesturing towards the odd shaped skull. "Alien." She paused. "When I say alien…" she trailed off leaving Parker come to realise it wasn't the type of alien as in from another country.

Mrs. Coleman walked into the living room carrying a tray with three cups of tea. "So how does it look, Doctor Kiehof? There's just one room left so be glad those two didn't find someone else to share the flat with." Parker smiled lightly. "Made it just how you like it," she called out to Elizabeth. "Herbal. And Lily's favourite, with honey." The two other heroes came over, grabbing their cup. "Didn't know how Marie liked her's so I made another cup of herbal."

"Thank you. Parker, please."

As Mrs. Coleman left the flat, Parker walked over to one of the two armchairs, plumped up a cushion on the chair, and then dropped heavily down into it. She looked across to Elizabeth and Lily who were still tidying up a little (sort of). "So what was that sign on the door?" Parker asked. "Dynamic Duo Detective Agency?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Lily and I have opened up our own private detective agency…And we may or may not have have connections with Detective Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. Sometimes we help them with cases." She gestured towards Parker. "Care to join?" Parker opened her mouth when Mrs. Coleman walked on in.

"How about these suicides, girls? Seems like a good first case for your business. Three all exactly the same."

Elizabeth walked over to the window and peered out. "Four," she corrected. A police car had stopped right outside. "There's been a fourth."

Lily hurried over to the window to get a look. "A fourth?" Mrs. Coleman wondered. Detective Inspector Lestrade walked into the flat. Parker silently wondered how he got in. Wasn't the door locked?

"Where?" asked Lily.

"Brixton, Lauriston Gardens."

"What's different?" Elizabeth wondered. "You wouldn't come to us if there was no change."

"You know how they never leave notes?" Lily and Elizabeth both nodded. "Well this one did. You coming?"

"We're right behind," Elizabeth said.

"Thank you." The Inspector nodded and left.

Once he reached the front door, Lily fist-pumped the air. "Yes! First real case! Serial suicides! Big case, big day! Oh, this is Christmas! Come on Wonder, Nightingale, we have one more battle as the Golden Trio!" Elizabeth and Lily rushed out the door.

Parker merely stayed seated in her chair. She sighed and picked up the newspaper about the apparent suicides and began to read the article. Elizabeth poked her head back in the room. "So you really became a doctor, hm, Parker?" Parker nodded. "Your dream come true. Any good at your job?"

"Of course."

"As expected, you were always a hard studier. You got injured in the doombot invasion. You've been through battles."

"Yes, you have too."

"But you've been through the most dangerous parts of the most dangerous battles." She stepped closer to Parker. "You've seen people die right before your eyes."

"And it was terrible…"

"This involves more–"

"Thank goodness," Parker said, rushing out the door.

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

Elizabeth, Parker, and Lily sat in silence in the taxi. "So…" said Parker, glancing towards Lily. "I never told you I was a doctor and you introduced me to Mrs. Coleman as Doctor Marie Kiehof. And you said I have a new younger sister."

"Yep," she said. Parker glanced towards Elizabeth.

"Did you tell her anything?"

Elizabeth raised her hands in a surrender position. "Not a word."

"So how'd you know?"

Lily sighed. "You're comment when you walked into the room when we first re-met."

"Well…A bit different from our day."

"So you recognised the equipment and not to mention you always wanted to be a doctor when you were a kid. Not a hard conclusion to come to. Anyone could have got it with that information." Parker had to agree.

"You said my limp–"

"Was psychosomatic, yes. Your limp's really bad when you walk but you don't ask for a chair when you stand, like you've forgotten about it, so it's at least partly psychosomatic. That says the original circumstances of the injury were traumatic. Wounded in action, then. The last time I saw you was when you were severely injured in the doombot invasion. Didn't see what happened, didn't see the wound, didn't see you since."

"You knew Wesley has a family, how?"

"I would've thought your brother would help you out. He's the kind of guy that would do that. Clearly he hasn't. Why hasn't he helped you? Because his money is heading somewhere else. He has a family of his own."

"Sister…?"

"Your phone. It had the name 'Sam Kiehof' engraved on the back. There are only so many Kiehof's in the world and all are related to you. Could be a cousin but none of yours were close enough to give you their phone and if they were you would have spoke of them more often when we were teenagers. So a sister. Younger, obviously, I knew your family. She isn't spoken of often in your immediate family though."

"How do you know?"

"She's a drunk."

"And how…can you _possibly_…know that?"

"Power connection: tiny little scuff marks around the edge of it. Every night she goes to plug it in to charge but her hands are shaking. You never see those marks on a sober person's phone; never see a drunk's without them. Your family's very serious about your religion and your religion says no drinking. Sam's fallen away then. Therefore, not spoken to often by your family. Except by you. Why would she give you her phone if you seldom spoke to her?"

Parker blinked at her friend. "That…was…uh…well…"

"Elizabeth helped me out a bit," admitted Lily quietly.

Parker laughed.

As the cab arrived in Brixton, the Trio stepped out onto the kerb. "We got a lot of things wrong, didn't we?" said Lily. "I'm terrible at this detective stuff. Better at being a superhero than a regular, everyday hero. I'm sure Liz can concur."

Parker shrugged. "Sam's a drunk. Wesley has three kids, two twin boys and a girl–" Elizabeth 'awwwww'ed – "I got severely injured in the doombot invasion."

Lily looked surprised with herself. "We got it all right? Whoa!" She high-fived Elizabeth.

"And Sam is short for Samuel, not Samantha."

Parker continued walking, smug with herself, as Elizabeth and Lily stopped dead in their tracks. "Sam's a boy…" said Elizabeth. "Darn it!" She and Lily whispered angrily to each other as they began to walk again.

"Okay, what are we gonna do here?" asked Parker. "And where are we anyway?"

"Brother!" fumed Lily, ignoring Parker. "So close!"

The three of them walked up to the yellow police tape and a sergeant stepped in front of them. "Hello, Falda," she said angrily. Her tone lightened. "Elizabeth. What're you two doing here?" she asked.

"Hello, Donovan," Lily said with an annoyed sigh.

"Nice to see you again, Sally," said Elizabeth politely.

"We need to see the Detective Inspector," said Lily.

"Well you know what I think?"

"Nope," she said, ducking under the tape. Elizabeth copied her actions. "And I'd rather not." Elizabeth held up the tape for Parker to walk through.

Sergeant Donovan stopped her. "Wait, who's this?"

"Doctor Marie Kiehof," Elizabeth said. "A friend of ours."

Donovan looked slightly surprised. "A friend? As in a friend of Falda's, too?" she asked, pointing to the mentioned.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes. Parker, Sally Donovan. Old friend," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I thought you said her name was Marie?" Donovan said, slightly confused.

Lily ignored this question and walked on with a roll of her eyes. She led the other two towards the house. Elizabeth looked all around the area and at the ground as they approached. As they reached the pavement, a man dressed in a coverall came out of the house.

"Ah, Anderson," said Lily. "Here we are again."

Anderson looked at the group with distaste. "It's a crime scene," he said. "I don't want it contaminated. Are we clear on that?"

Lily took in another deep breath through her nose. "Of course," she said sarcastically. She smiled smugly, then turned and went into the house. Elizabeth walked past then followed Lily inside. Parker smiled apologetically at Anderson and the other two Golden Trio members led her into a room on the ground floor where Lestrade was putting on a coverall. Elizabeth pointed to a pile of similar items.

"We'll need to wear one of these," she told Parker.

"Who's this?" Lestrade wondered.

"She's with us," said Elizabeth.

"But who is she?"

"I believe Elizabeth said she's with us," said Lily, putting on her latex gloves. Parker had taken off her jacket and picked up a coverall. She looked at Lily who had merely a pair of latex gloves and no coverall.

"Aren't you gonna put one on?" she asked.

Lily just looked at her sternly. "So where are we?" she asked Lestrade.

Lestrade picked up another pair of latex gloves. "Upstairs."


	2. Chapter 2

2: A Study in Pink - Part II

**A/N Woohoo! Thank you for all the positive feedback!**

****The Christmas season has made me feel very giving, so you guys get two updates this week! :D One today and ons tomorrow for a Christmas present!**

**Noodle Fanatic (guest) - That is why I did certain characterizations :) *updates***

**DoctorJean (guest) - Well, each episode I will try to have each person put in the spotlight. For A Study in Pink I guess Elizabeth is just somewhere between John and Sherlock. But she will have her time to shine like everyone else! Powers…well, I've already mentioned that Parker has a super-mind. In this chapter we learn another one of her powers. The other's powers were hinted in the prologue if you can find them ;) In chapter 3 some of Lily and Elizabeth's powers will be revealed!**

**Notonfire (guest) - Thank you so much! *updates***

**ahappyperson (guest) - Thank you! I will update each week if not more.**

**Leftthelibrary - I'm not sure why I called it Cases. I suck at titles and summaries, so if you have any other title ideas, feel free to say so! Thanks! It did take a long time.**

**Noodle Fanatic - I update on Wednesdays :)**

**ENJOY!**

Lestrade led the girls up a circular staircase. He, Elizabeth, and Parker wore coveralls together with white cotton coverings over their shoes and latex gloves. Lily fiddled with her latex gloves on as they headed up the stairs. "I can give you two minutes," Lestrade said.

"We may need longer," Lily said.

"Her name's Jennifer Wilson according to her credit cards," Lestrade explained. "We're running them now for contact details. Hasn't been here long. Some kids found her." He led them into a room two storeys above the ground floor. The room was empty of furniture except for a rocking horse in the far corner. Emergency portable lighting had been set up by the police. Scaffolding poles held up part of the ceiling near where a couple of large holes had been knocked through one of the walls. A woman's body lay face down on the bare floorboards in the middle of the room. She wore a bright pink overcoat and high-heeled pink shoes. Her hands were flat on the floor either side of her head. Elizabeth walked a few steps into the room and then stopped, Lily right behind. Behind them, Parker looked at the woman's body and her face filled with pain and sadness. The four of them stood there silently for several long seconds. It was silent to everyone but Parker. She couldn't handle all the thoughts. She looked across to Lestrade.

"Can you please be quieter?" she asked.

Lestrade looked up at her, a bit bewildered. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking. It's loud." Lestrade merely blinked and Parker looked away, red-faced.

"Can you leave us for a moment?" Elizabeth asked Lestrade kindly. "We have methods of thinking that require as few people in the room as there can be. If you'd be so kind…"

Lestrade nodded. "Of course." He turned and started to close the door behind him. "Two minutes," he reminded. The door snapped shut.

Lily whipped towards Parker. "Can you read the thoughts of the dead?"

Parker was startled. "Wha'?"

"It was a long shot…"

The Golden Trio gathered around the body. Parker knelt somewhat awkwardly, trying to position her cane. "So what can you get?" asked Elizabeth. "The note: rache. What does it mean?"

Parker thought for a moment. "Er…Well rache is revenge in German…?"

Lily turned to Nightingale, surprised. "How do you know German?"

Parker shrugged. "I had a lot of free time when I was younger."

"How many languages do you know?"

"Er…ten?" Parker said, trying to be modest.

Lily blinked then shook her head. "She's left handed," she said, gesturing to the body. "Obvious signs. Fingernail polish on her left hand chipped while the right is perfect. Not to mention her left hand is positioned as to have written the note. I'm left handed myself, so it's easier for me to notice something like that."

Elizabeth shook her head. "It doesn't seem right! It doesn't seem like she would be writing an angry note in German. She doesn't look like someone who would do that." Then inspiration struck. "Maybe she didn't finish writing the full word out!"

"Racheb…Rachef…Rachek…Rachel…Rachel!" exclaimed Lily with a grin.

Elizabeth sunk closer towards the body, catching onto the excitement of the case. "She has little mud splash marks on the back of her legs," she said. "She had a suitcase."

"How can you tell that?" asked Parker.

"I travelled around Europe once I graduated. I pulled my suitcase through the rain countless times. Always got those marks on the back of my legs. So…by the size of the spread I'd say she had an overnight bag." She rubbed her fingers along the coat. "The outside of her coat is wet, but…" she reached into the lady's coat pocket and took out a with umbrella. "…her umbrella is dry and unused." She looked up at Lily. "Why would that be?"

Parker finally spoke up. "Because the storm was too strong."

Elizabeth's face lit up. "Fantastic!" She fished a BlackBerry phone out from her jacket pocket. "So Ms. Wilson here had just come from a place with heavy rainfall, strong winds – too strong for an umbrella – and was within a day's travel from London."

Lily crouched closer to the hands of the victim. "Hey, guys, check this out." The others looked over. "Her bracelet is cared for, clean. Her necklace is also clean. Several of her rings are clean. All pieces of jewellery are clean accept…" Lily slid the woman's wedding ring off, "…her wedding ring. My mother always cared for her wedding ring and would never let it tarnish. This marriage wasn't happy. I'd say she's been married…ten plus years?"

Parker blinked at Lily in shock. "How in the world did you learn this?"

Lily sighed. "I've had a lot of jobs since high school. One of them was working at a pawn shop, so I'm good at estimating the age of jewellery." She turned the ring over in her hand.

Elizabeth stopped Lily. "Look!" she said, pointing to the inside of the ring. "It's clean on the insise. How would one clean the inside but not the outside? So it's regularly removed, it gets unintentionally polished when she takes it off." Elizabeth looked at the wall. "But why would she take it off so much?" she whispered.

Lily's face became brightened. "Unhappily married? Regularly removed ring? Serial adulterer," she concluded. Lily glanced back at Parker. "Oh don't be so shocked, Parker, not everyone has the same standards as us." She stood and the others copied her actions. Lily smiled slightly in satisfaction.

Lestrade opened the door. "Got anything?"

"Not much," said Lily nonchalantly. She took her gloves off and then looked over Elizabeth's shoulder to see if she had made progress on her phone.

Anderson was leaning casually against the doorway. "She's German. 'Rache': it's German for 'revenge'. She could be trying to tell us something–"

He didn't get to finish because Lily closed the door on his face. "Yes, thank you for your input."

After slamming the door shut she turned and walked back into the room. "So she's German?" asked Lestrade.

"No," said Elizabeth, finishing up on her phone. "But she is from out of town. From Cardiff."

Lily giggled and everyone looked at her. "Sorry," she apologised. "TV show reference."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "Right…" She turned to Parker. "What do you think, Parker?"

Parker looked up, having not being paying attention. "Sorry, what? About the note?"

"No, the body. You're a doctor now."

Lestrade was annoyed. "Wait, no, we have a whole team right outside."

"I trust Parker more than I do anyone on your team."

"I'm breaking every rule letting you guys in here!"

Lily turned to him. "Yes, because you need us."

Lestrade lowered his head in helpless defeat. "I do…Heaven help me…" He sighed. He opened the door and left again. "Anderson, keep everyone out for a few minutes!"

Parker kneeled once more next to the body, trying to get in a comfortable position and failing. Lily shrugged expectantly. "Well?" Lily asked.

"What am I doing here?" Parker asked, annoyed.

"Solving this case," Lily said, as if were obvious.

"I'm suppose to help you guys pay the rent!" argued Parker. "Not solve Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mysteries!"

"But this is much more fun!" Lily protested happily. "Like when we were the Golden Trio!"

Parker was aghast. "Fun? Fun?! There is a woman lying dead on the floor, guys!"

"Perfectly sound analysis, but I was hoping you'd go deeper."

Lestrade came back into the room and Parker sighed. She dragged her other leg down into a kneeling position and then leaned forward to look more closely at the woman's body. She put her head close to the woman's and sniffed, then straightened a little before lifting the victim's right hand and looking at the skin. She kneeled up and looks across to Elizabeth and Lily.

"Yeah…Asphyxiation, probably. Passed out, choked on her own vomit. Can't smell any alcohol on her. It could have been a seizure; possibly drugs."

"You know what it was," said Lily. "You've read the papers."

"What, she's one of the suicides? The fourth…?"

"Lily, Elizabeth – two minutes, I said," Lestrade sighed. "I need anything you've got."

Lily strode over to Lestrade up as Parker struggled to get to her feet. "Victim is in her late thirties. Professional person, going by her clothes; I'm guessing something in the media, going by the frankly alarming shade of pink." She shuddered.

"Travelled from Cardiff today," took over Elizabeth, "intending to stay in London for one night according to the size of her suitcase."

"Suitcase?" wondered Lestrade.

Parker took a gander around the room but couldn't find a suitcase anywhere.

"Suitcase, yes," said Lily. "She's been married at least ten years, but not happily. She's had a string of lovers but none of them knew she was married."

"Oh, for goodness sake," said Lestrade exasperatedly, "you're just making this up–!"

Elizabeth pointed down to the lady's left hand coming in for a save. "Her wedding ring. Ten years old at least. The rest of her jewellery has been regularly cleaned, but not her wedding ring. State of her marriage right there. The inside of the ring is shinier than the outside – that means it's regularly removed. The only polishing it gets is when she works it off her finger. It's not for work; look at her nails. She doesn't work with her hands, so what – or rather who – does she remove her rings for? Clearly not one lover; she'd never sustain the fiction of being single over that amount of time, so more likely a string of them." She seemed proud of herself.

"You mentioned Cardiff…" Lestrade wondered after a short pause.

"Her coat: it's slightly damp," explained Elizabeth. "She's been in heavy rain in the last few hours. No rain anywhere in London in that time. Under her coat collar is damp, too. She's turned it up against the wind. She's got an umbrella in her left hand pocket but it's dry and unused: not just wind, strong wind – too strong to use her umbrella. We know from her suitcase that she was intending to stay overnight, so she must have come a decent distance but she can't have travelled more than two or three hours because her coat still hasn't dried. So, where has there been heavy rain and strong wind within the radius of that travel time?" She held up her phone to show the UK weather reports. "Cardiff."

Lestrade was slightly confused. "Why do you keep saying case?"

Lily spun around in a circle to look around the room. "Yes, where is it?" she asked. "She must have had a phone or an organiser. Find out who Rachel is."

"She was writing 'Rachel'?"

"No, she was leaving an angry note in German!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Of course she was writing Rachel; no other word it can be. Question is: why did she wait until she was dying to write it?"

"How d'you know she had a suitcase?" asked Lestrade.

Elizabeth pointed down to the body, where the victim's tights had small black splotches on the lower part of her right leg. "Back of the right leg: tiny splash marks on the heel and calf, not present on the left. She was dragging a wheeled suitcase behind her with her right hand. Don't get that splash pattern any other way. I've dragged a suitcase through the rain countless times, so I would know. Smallish case, going by the spread. Case that size, woman this clothes-conscious: could only be an overnight bag, so we know she was staying one night." She squatted down by the woman's body and examined the backs of her legs more closely.

"Now, where is it?" asked Lily. "What have you done with it?"

"There wasn't a case," Lestrade said with a shrug.

Slowly, Elizabeth raised her head and Lily frowned towards Lestrade. "Say that again…" said Elizabeth.

"There wasn't a case," Lestrade repeated. "There was never any suitcase."

Lily rushed out the door. "A suitcase!" she called out into the stairwell. "Did anyone find a suitcase? Was there a suitcase in this house?"

Lestrade, Elizabeth, and Parker followed her out and stopped on the landing. Lestrade called down the stairs. "Lily, there was no case!"

Lily slowed down, but still made her way down the stairs. "But they take the poison themselves; they chew, swallow the pills themselves. There are clear signs, even you lot couldn't miss them."

"Right, yeah, thanks!" said an offended Lestrade. "And…?"

"It's murder," Lily said, "all of them. I don't know how, but they're not suicides, they're killings – serial killings." She held her hands up in front of her face in interested delight. "We've got ourselves a serial killer. First case and it's a serial killer. Something to look forward to!"

"Why are you saying that?" Elizabeth asked.

Lily stopped and called up to the others. "Her case! Come on, where is her case? Did she eat it?! Someone else was here, and they took her case." The next few lines she said more quietly, as if talking to herself. "So the killer must have driven her here; forgot the case was in the car."

"She could have checked into a hotel," suggested Parker, "left her case there."

Elizabeth started hurrying down the staircase, catching on. "No, she never got to the hotel," she said. "Look at her hair. She colour-coordinates her lipstick and her shoes. She'd never have left any hotel with her hair still looking like that! Not many woman would. Well, Parker might, but she's Parker." Nightingale looked the slightest bit offended.

Both Lily and Elizabeth were silent, looking at each other as they came to a realisation. "Colour-coordinated…" muttered Lily. "Oh…" Her eyes widened and her face lit up. "Oh!" She clapped her hands in delight.

"Lily?" Parker asked.

Lestrade was leaning over the railings. "What is it," he asked, "what?"

Lily smiled cheerfully to herself. "I figure serial killers are always hard. You'd have to wait for them to make a mistake."

"Well we can't just wait!" said Lestrade.

"Oh, we're done waiting!" Lily said happily. She started to hurry down the stairs again, this time with Liz in hot pursuit. "Look at her, really look! Houston, we have a mistake! Get on to Cardiff: find out who Jennifer Wilson's family and friends were! Find Rachel!" She reached the bottom of the stairs and disappeared from view.

"Of course, yeah – but what mistake?!" called out Lestrade.

Elizabeth came back into view, Lily already too far gone, and ran up a couple of stairs so that she could be seen before she yelled up to Lestrade.

"PINK!"

She hurried off again. Lestrade, baffled, turned and went back into the room while Anderson and his team, who had been waiting on the next landing down, hurried up the stairs and followed him into the room. "Alright," said Anderson, "let's get on with it!"

Forgotten by everyone else, Parker hesitated on the landing for a moment and then slowly started making her way down the stairs. A couple more police officers hurried up and one of them bumped against her, throwing her off-balance and making her lurch heavily against the bannisters. The man hurried on without a word, although his colleague did at least look apologetically at Parker as he passed. Parker regained her balance and continued down the stairs.

Shortly afterwards she had removed her coverall and put her jacket back on, and then walked out onto the street. Looking all around, she could see no sign of her fellow Golden Trio members. She walked towards the police tape, still looking around. Donovan, standing at the tape, saw her.

"Their gone," she said.

Parker turned to the sergeant. "Who, the Duo?"

"Yeah. They just took off. Always do that."

"Are either of them coming back?" Parker asked desperately.

"Didn't look like it."

"Right…" Parker said awkwardly. She looked around the area again thoughtfully, unsure what to do. "Right…Yes." She turned to Donovan again. "Sorry, where am I?"

"Brixton."

"Right," said Parker, slowly nodding. "Er, d'you know where I could get a cab? It's just, er…well…" she looked down awkwardly at her walking stick. "…my leg…"

"Er…" Donovan stepped over to the tape and lifted it for her, "…try the main road."

"Thanks," said Parker, ducking under the tape.

"But you're not their friend," Sally said suddenly. Parker turned back towards her. "The only friends those two have are each other. So who are you?"

"I'm…I'm nobody," Parker said sadly. "I'm a friend but I haven't seen or heard from either of them for fifteen years."

Donovan nodded. "Okay, bit of advice then: stay away from them."

"Why?" Parker asked, worried something terrible had happened in the past fifteen years.

"Do you know why they're here? They're not paid or anything. They like it. They get off on it. Especially Lily. The weirder the crime, the more she gets off. This isn't her first, it's just Elizabeth's first. She's involved before though, just not like this. And you know what? One day just showing up won't be enough. One day we'll be standing round a body and one of them will be the one that put it there."

"And why would they do that?" asked Parker lividly.

"Because Lily's a psychopath," Donovan said simply. "A freak. And both freaks and psychopaths get bored."

Lestrade called from the entrance to the house. "Donovan!"

Sally turned and called to him. "Coming."  
She turned back towards Parker as she walked towards the house. "Stay away from Lily Falda and Elizabeth Pennies. Especially the former."

Parker watched her go for a moment, then turned and began to limp off down the road. To her right, the phone in a public telephone box began to ring. She stopped and looked at it for a few seconds but then looked down at her watch, shook her head and continued down the road. The phone stopped ringing.

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Parker walked down Brixton High Road, trying to hail a passing cab. "Taxi!" she called out. "Taxi…" The taxi passed her by. In Chicken Cottage, the fast food restaurant outside of which Parker stood, the pay phone on the wall began to ring. Parker turned and looked as one of the serving staff walked over to it but as he reached for the phone, it stopped. Parker turned again and walked on down the road and shortly afterwards approached another public telephone box. The phone inside started to ring. Mystified by this, she pulled open the door, went inside, and lifted the phone.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously.

A man's voice spoke on the phone. "There is a security camera on the building to your left. Do you see it?"

Parker frowned. "Who's this? Who is speaking?"

"Do you see the camera, Doctor Kiehof?"

Parker looked through the window of the phone box at the CCTV camera high up on the wall of a nearby building. "Yeah, I see it," she said.

"Watch." The camera, which was pointing directly at the phone box, then swivelled away. "There is another camera on the building opposite you. Do you see it?" Parker looked across to the second camera, which was also pointed towards the phone box.

"Mmm-hmm."

The camera immediately swivelled away. "And finally, at the top of the building on your right." Parker stared up into the third camera which was watching her but then turned away.

"How are you doing this?" Parker asked the mysterious caller.

"Get into the car, Doctor Kiehof," the person ordered. A black car pulled up at the kerbside near the phone. The male driver got out and opened the rear door. "I would make some sort of threat, but I'm sure your situation is quite clear to you." The phone went dead. Parker put it down and looked thoughtful for a long moment, then decided that there wasn't much else she could do, and turned to leave the phone box.

A few moments later she was sitting in the back seat of the car as it pulled away and drove off. An attractive young man sat beside her, his eyes fixed on the screen of his BlackBerry as he typed away on it. He was pretty much ignoring her. "Hello," said Parker.

The man smiled brightly at her for a moment before returning his gaze to his phone. "Hi."

This is what Parker's brain registered:

_Hothothothothothothothothothothothothot!_

"What's your name, then?" Parker asked flirtatiously.

"Er…Leon…"

After a pause, Parker began to wonder. "Is that your real name?"

"Nope," said the man with a smile.

Parker nodded, then twisted to look out of the rear window briefly before turning back again. "I'm Marie."

"Yes. I know."

"Did you know you can call me Parker?"

Leon paused and looked up at Parker. "Sort of," he said with a pearly white, toothy smile.

"Any point in asking where I'm going?" Parker asked.

"None at all…" He turned and smiled briefly at her, then looked back at his phone again. "…Parker."

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Some time later, the car pulled into an almost empty warehouse. A man in a suit was standing in the centre of the area, leaning nonchalantly on an umbrella as he watched the car stop and Parker get out. His blonde hair was neatly combed, but he did have a receding hairline. In front of the man was a straight backed armless chair facing him. He gestured to it with the point of his umbrella as Parker limped towards him leaning heavily on her cane. "Have a seat, Marie," the man said.

Parker continued towards him, her voice calm. "You know, I've got a phone," she stated simply. She looked around the warehouse. "I mean, very clever and all that, but er…you could just phone me…On my phone…"

She walked straight past the chair and stopped a few paces away from the man. "When one is avoiding the attention of Elizabeth Pennies, one learns to be discreet, hence this place." His voice, which had a pleasant smile in it thus far, then became a little more stern towards the end of his next phrase. "The leg must be hurting you. Sit down."

"I don't wanna sit down."

The man looked at her curiously. "You don't seem very afraid."

"You don't seem very frightening."

The man chuckled. "Ah, yes. The bravery of the soldier. Bravery is indeed the kindest word for stupidity, don't you think?"

"Who said anything about a soldier?" asked Parker.

He looked at Parker sternly. "What is your connection to Elizabeth Pennies?"

"I don't have one," Parker lied. "I barely know her. I met her…" She looked away thoughtfully, then appeared surprised as if she hadn't realised until now how little time had passed, trying to keep up the bluff, "…yesterday.

"Mmm, and since yesterday you've moved in with her and Lily Falda and now you're solving crimes together as a trio. Might we expect a happy announcement by the end of the week?"

"Who are you?" Parker hissed.

"An interested party."

"Interested in Elizabeth? Why? I'm guessing you two are not friends."

"Then you've guessed right. I am the closest thing to a friend that Elizabeth Pennies is capable of having."

"She has Lily and I."

"So your connection is friend? You act like you know her better than just having met her yesterday." Parker was silent. "I have the position right after friend then. An enemy."

"An enemy?"

"In her mind, certainly. If you were to ask Lily Falda, she'd probably say I'm their archenemy. She does love to be dramatic. Elizabeth would either say enemy or – more likely – nothing at all."

Parker looked pointedly around the warehouse. "Well, thank goodness you're above all that," she said sarcastically.  
The man frowned at her. Just then Parker's phone trilled a text alert. She immediately dug into her jacket pocket, took out the phone, and activated it, looking at the message while ignoring the man in front of her. The message read:

_Kaber Street.  
Come at once  
if convenient.  
LF_

"I do hope I'm not distracting you," the mysterious man said, not really concerned at all.

Parker put away her iPhone. "Not distracting me at all," she said casually.

"Do you plan to continue your association with Elizabeth Pennies?"

"I could be wrong…but I think that's none of your business."

"It could be," the man said, a little ominously.

"It really couldn't," Parker said with a shake of her head.

The man took a notebook from his inside pocket, then opened it and consulted it as he spoke. "If you do move into, um…three hundred and thirteen G Kaber Street, I'd be happy to pay you a meaningful sum of money on a regular basis to ease your way." He closed the notebook and put it away again.

"Why?" wondered Parker.

"Because you're not a wealthy woman."

"I don't need to be."

"I just want information. Nothing indiscreet. Nothing you'd feel…uncomfortable with. Just tell me what she's up to."

"Why?"

"I worry about her," the man said. "Constantly…"

"That's nice of you," Parker said insincerely.

"But I would prefer for various reasons that my concern go unmentioned. We have what you might call a…difficult relationship."

Parker's phone sounded another text alert. Again she immediately fished the phone out and looked at the message which read:

_If inconvenient,  
come anyway.  
LF_

"No," Parker said in response to the man's offer.

"But I haven't mentioned a figure."

Parker put her phone away again. "Don't even bother."

The man laughed briefly. "If you really did meet Elizabeth Pennies only yesterday you're very loyal, very quickly."

"No, I'm not. I'm just not interested."

The man looked at her closely for a moment, then took out his notebook and opened it again. The man gestured slightly to make it clear that he was reading a note from the book. "'Trust issues,' it says here." For the first time since their encounter began, Parker looked a little unnerved.

"What is that?" she asked.

The man was still looking down at his book. "Could it be that you've decided to trust Elizabeth Pennies of all people?"

"She seems the kind to be trustable."

"You don't seem the kind to make friends easily," retorted the man.

Parker took a few deep breaths. "Are we done here?"

The man raised his head and looked into Parker's eyes. "You tell me." Parker looked at him for a long moment, then turned her back on him and started to walk away. "I imagine people have already warned you to stay away from the duo, but more so Lily Falda at a guess…but I can see from your left hand that's not going to happen."

Parker stopped dead. Her shoulders tensed and dropped and she angrily shook her head a little. She was clearly furious as she turned back around to face the man. "My what?" Parker asked savagely, through bared teeth.

"Show me," the man calmly ordered. He had nodded towards Parker's left hand as he spoke, and he planted the tip of his umbrella on the floor and leaned casually on it like a man who was used to having his orders obeyed. Parker, however, was not going to be intimidated and deliberately shifted her feet under herself as if digging in. She raised her left hand, bending it at the elbow, and stood still. Her message was clear: if the man wanted to look at her hand, he'd have to go to her himself. Apparently unperturbed by this belligerence, the man strolled forward, hooking the handle of the umbrella over his arm as he reached for Parker's hand. Parker instantly pulled his hand back a little.

"Don't," Parker said tensely.

The man lowered his head and raised his eyebrows at Parker, almost as if saying, 'Did I mention trust issues?!' Parker, very reluctantly, lowered her hand, holding it out flat with the palm down. The man took it in both of his own hands and looked at it closely. "Remarkable," he muttered.

Parker snatched her hand away. "What is?"

The man turned and walked a few paces away. "Most people blunder round this city, and all they see are streets and shops and cars. When you walk with the Dynamic Duo, you see the battlefield." He turns towards Parker again. "You've seen it already, haven't you?"

"I don't know what your talking about," muttered Parker through gritted teeth.

"You have an intermittent tremor in your left hand." Unintentionally, Parker nodded her head. "Your therapist thinks it's post-traumatic stress disorder. She thinks you're haunted by memories of the doombot invasion, Nightingale." Parker almost flinched as the man accurately fired off these facts at her.

Her gaze was fixed ahead of herself and a muscle in her cheek twitched repeatedly. "Who in the universe are you and how do you know all of this?" Parker just about growled.

"Funny. One would normally say who in the world, yet you say universe." He paused. "Fire her," the man said, ignoring the question. "She's got it the wrong way round. You're under stress right now and your hand is perfectly steady." Parker's eyes flickered down towards her hand before returning to stare ahead of herself, her face set and struggling to hold back her anger. "You're not haunted by the invasion – the war – Doctor Kiehof…you miss it." He leaned closer to her. Reluctantly Parker's eyes rose up to meet his. "Welcome back," he whispered.

He turned and started to walk away just as Parker's phone trilled another text alert. The man casually twirled his umbrella as he walked away. "Time to choose a side, Doctor Kiehof."

Parker stood fixed to the spot for a few seconds, then turned and glanced towards the departing man as, behind Parker, the car door opened and not-Leon got out and walked a few paces towards her, his attention still riveted to the BlackBerry held in front of him in both hands. "I'm to take you home," he said. Parker half-turned towards him, then stopped and took out her phone to look at the new message. It read:

_Could be dangerous.  
LF_

Putting the phone back into her pocket, Parker held out her left hand in front of herself and studied the lack of tremor coming from it. She smiled wryly. "Address?" not-Leon asked.

Parker turned and walked towards her. "Er, Kaber Street. 313G Kaber Street. But I need to stop off somewhere first."

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Parker opened up the door into her bedsit and switched on the light. Walking inside and closing the door behind her, she went across to the desk and opened the drawer, taking out her pistol. Checking the clip, she tucked the gun into the back of the waistband of her jeans and turned to leave again.

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The car pulled up outside 313 Kaber Street. Leon was still rivetted by whatever he was typing on his phone. Parker looked across to him. "Listen," said Parker, "your boss – any chance you could not tell him this is where I went?"

"Sure," said not-Leon nonchalantly.

Parker paused. "You've told him already, haven't you?"

He smiled across to her briefly. "Yeah."

Parker nodded in resignation and turned to get out of the car but just as she had opened the door, she turned back to her.  
"Hey, um…how much free time do you get?"

Leon chuckled. "Lots." Parker waited expectantly. He continued working his phone for a long moment, then turned and looked at her before allowing his gaze to drift past Parker to the door of 313G. "Bye."

"Okay."

Parker got out and closed the door, then watched the car pull away before turning and walking across the pavement to the front door of 313G. She knocked on the door.

**A/N Super excited for season 3! And before you ask: Yes, I will do a rewrite of all those episodes to :) I already have plans/ideas for it.**


	3. Chapter 3

3: A Study in Pink - Part III

**A/N WHAT! D: No reviews? :'( Well I promised a chapter for Christmas, so here you go.**

Up in the flat, Lily was flopped across the couch, occasionally checking her phone for texts. Parker walked in and saw Lily on the couch. "…Well?" Parker asked. Lily didn't respond. "You asked me to come. I'm assuming it's important."

Lily still didn't respond instantly, but after a couple of seconds her eyes snapped open. She didn't bother turning her head to look at Parker though. "Oh, yeah, of course. Can I borrow your phone?"

Parker blinked. "My phone?"

"I don't wanna use mine. Always a chance that the number will be recognised," explained Lily. "It's on the website."

"Elizabeth's got a phone."

"She's on a date."

Parker was reminded of not-Leon and sighed in annoyance. "Mrs. Coleman has a phone."

"Yeah, but she's downstairs," Lily said, whining like a child. "I tried shouting but she didn't hear."

Parker was beginning to get angry. "I was the other side of London!"

"There was no hurry," said Lily in all calmness.

Parker glared at her and Lily gazed serenely at the ceiling before closing her eyes again. Eventually, Parker dug her phone out of her jacket pocket and held it towards Lily. "Here."

Without opening her eyes, Lily held out her right hand with the palm up. Parker glowered at him for a moment, then stepped forward and slapped the phone into her hand. Lily slowly lifted up her arm and put her hands together again, this time with the phone in between her palms. Parker turned and walked a few paces away before turning around again. "So what's this about – the case?"

"Her case," Lily said softly.

"Her case?" Parker asked in confusion.

Lily opened her eyes. "Her suitcase, yes, of course. The murderer took her suitcase. First big mistake."

"Okay, he took her case. So?"

"It's no use," said Lily quietly, as if to herself, "there's no other way. We'll have to risk it." Raising her voice a little, she imperiously held the phone out towards Parker, still not looking at her. "Password protected, Parker, you send it. On my desk there's a number. I want you to send a text."

Parker half-smiled in angry disbelief. "You brought me here…" said Parker tightly, "…to send a text…"

Lily was oblivious to Parker's anger. "Text, yes. The number on my desk." She continued to hold the phone out while Parker glowered at her, possibly wondering if she can get away with justifiable homicide. Eventually she stomped across the room and snatched the phone from Lily's hand. Lily refolds her hands under her chin and closed her eyes but instead of going to the table, Parker walked over to the window and looked out of it into the street below. Lily opened her eyes and tilted her head slightly towards her.

"What's wrong?"

"Just met a friend of yours."

Lily frowned in confusion. "A friend?

"An enemy," Parker corrected.

Lily immediately relaxed. "Oh," she said calmly. "Which one?"

"The one interested in Elizabeth and your archenemy, according to him." She turned towards Lily. "Do people have archenemies?" Lily looked towards her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "I mean, Golden Trio has enemies, of course, but not archenemies."

"Did he offer you money to spy on Elizabeth?" Lily asked.

"Yes."

"Did you take it?"

"No."

"Pity. I could have helped you spy on her and split the fee. Let's think it through next time."

Parker was silent before sighing. "Who is he?"

"The most dangerous man you've ever met," she said softly, "and not our problem right now." She raised her voice a bit. "On my desk, the number."

Parker gave her a dark look but Lily had already looked away again so Parker walked over to the desk and picked up a piece of paper taken from a luggage label. She looked at the name on the paper. "Jennifer Wilson. That was…Hang on. Wasn't that the dead woman?"

"Yes. That's not important," dismissed Lily. "Just enter the number." Shaking her head, Parker got out her phone out and started to type the number onto it. "Are you doing it?"

"Yes."

"Have you done it?"

"Ye– hang on!"

"These words exactly:" Lily said slowly. "'What happened at Lauriston Gardens? I must have blacked out.'" Parker John started to type but looked briefly across to Lily as if concerned at what she had just said. Lily continued her narration. "'Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Please come.'"

Now Parker looked across to Lily again, frowning. "You blacked out?" she asked worriedly.

"What? No. No!" She flipped her legs around and stood up, taking the shortest route towards the kitchen – which involved walking over the coffee table beside the sofa rather than around it. "Type and send it. Quickly." Lily walked into the kitchen, and she picked up a small pink suitcase from a chair and brought it back into the living room. Walking over to the dining table, she lifted one of the dining chairs and flipped it around, setting it down in front of one of the two armchairs near the fireplace. She put the suitcase onto the dining chair and sat down in the armchair. Parker was still typing.

"Have you sent it?"

"What's the address?"

"Twenty-two Northumberland Street," Lily said irritably. "Hurry up!"

Parker finished the message, then looked round as Lily unzipped the case and flipped open the lid, revealing the contents. There were a few items of clothing and underwear – all in varying shades of pink – a washbag, and a paperback novel by Paul Bunch entitled "Come To Bed Eyes". As Parker turned towards the case she staggered slightly in shock as she realised what she was looking at. "That's…that's the pink lady's case. That's Jennifer Wilson's case."

Lily was studying the case closely. "Yes, clearly." As Parker continued to stare, Lily looks up at her and then rolled her eyes. "Oh," she said sarcastically, "perhaps I should mention: neither Wonder nor I killed her."

"I never said you did kill her."

"You thought it."

"Oh, so you're the mind reader now?

"Why not? Given the text I just had you send and the fact I that have her case, it's a perfectly logical assumption."

Parker blinked in shock. "Do people usually assume you're the murderer?"

Lily smirked. "Now and then, yes." She put her hands onto the arms of the armchair and lifted her feet up and under her so that she was perching on the seat with her backside braced against the back rest, then clasped her hands under her chin.

"Okay…" Parker said awkwardly. She limped across the room and dropped heavily into the armchair on the other side of the fireplace. "Question. How did you get this?"

"By looking," Lily said simply.

"Where?" asked Parker.

"The killer must have driven her to Lauriston Gardens. He could only keep her case by accident if it was in the car. Nobody could be seen with this case without drawing attention – particularly a man, which is statistically more likely – so obviously he'd feel compelled to get rid of it the moment he noticed he still had it. Wouldn't have taken him more than five minutes to realise his mistake. Wonder and I checked every back street wide enough for a car five minutes from Lauriston Gardens and anywhere you could dispose of a bulky object without being observed. Took us less than an hour to find the case. After all, many hands make light work. Not to mention I have super speed and Liz can fly." She pointed at the case. "Now…Can you find what's missing?"

Parker was startled. "From the case? How could I?"

"…Her phone! Where's her mobile phone? There was no phone on the body, there's no phone in the case. We know she had one – that's her number there; you just texted it."

"Well…Maybe she left it at home," Parker suggested.

Lily put her hands onto the arms of the chair and raised herself up so that she could lower her feet to the floor, then sat down properly on the chair. "She had a string of lovers and she was careful about it. She'd never leave her phone at home." She put the slip of paper back into the luggage label on the case and looked at Parker expectantly.

"Er…" She looked down at her mobile phone which she had put onto the arm of her chair. "Why did I just send that text?"

"Well, the question is: where is her phone now?"

Parker shrugged. "She could have lost it."

"Yes, or…?"

Parker spoke slowly. "The murderer…You think the murderer has the phone?"

"Maybe she left it when she left her case," Lily suggested. "Maybe he took it from her for some reason. Either way, it is most likely that the murderer has gotten her phone."

Parker was shocked. "Sorry, what are we doing? Did I just text a murderer?! What good will that do?"

As if on cue, her phone began to ring. She picked it up and looked at the screen for the Caller I.D. It was withheld. She looked across to Lily as the phone continued to ring out. "A few hours after his last victim," said Lily, "and now he receives a text that can only be from her. If somebody had just found that phone they'd ignore a text like that, but the murderer…" She paused dramatically for a moment until the phone stopped ringing. "…would panic." She flipped the lid of the suitcase closed and stood up, walking briskly across the room to pick up her jacket. As Parker continued to stare down at her phone, Lily put her jacket on and walked towards the door.

Parker eventually looked up. "Have you talked to the police?"

"Four people are dead," Lily said. "There isn't time to talk to the police."

"So why are you talking to me?" Parker asked.

Lily reached behind the door to take her beanie from the hook. As she looked across towards Parker she noticed that something was missing from the mantelpiece. "Mrs. Coleman took my skull."

Parker blinked. "So I'm your last resort? First Elizabeth, then the alien skull, then me?"

Lily putting her beanie on. "Relax, you're doing fine. And besides, your third resort, not last." Parker didn't move. "Well?"

"Well what?"

Lily shrugged. "Well, you could just sit there and watch telly."

Parker sighed. "What, you want me to come with you?"

"I like company when I go out," she admitted, "and I think better when I talk aloud. The skull just attracts attention, not to mention the government tried to take it from me once because it's extraterrestrial, so…" Parker smiled briefly. "Problem?"

"Yeah, Sergeant Donovan."

Lily looked away in exasperation and with a roll of her eyes. "What about her?" she sighed.

"She said…You get off on this. You enjoy it."

Lily shrugged nonchalantly. "And I said 'dangerous', and here you are." She smirked smugly and instantly turned and walked out of the door. Parker sat there thoughtfully for a few seconds, then almost angrily leaned onto her cane to push herself to her feet and headed for the door. "Gosh, dang it!"

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

Parker had caught up to Lily in the street and they continued down the road. "Where are we going?"

"Northumberland Street's a five-minute walk from here."

"So you think this guy's stupid enough to go there?"

Lily smiled expectantly. "No – I think he's brilliant enough. I love the brilliant ones. They're always so desperate to get caught."

"Er…Why?"

"Appreciation! Applause! At long last the spotlight. That's the frailty of genius, Parker: it needs an audience."

Parker looked pointedly at her. "Yeah." Oblivious to the implication, Lily spun around to indicate the entire area as she continued down the road.

"This is his hunting ground, right here in the heart of the city. Now that we know his victims were abducted, that changes everything. Because all of his victims disappeared from busy streets, crowded places, but nobody saw them go." She held her hands up on either side of her head as if to focus her thoughts. "Come on, we need to think! Who do we trust, even though we don't know them? Who passes unnoticed wherever they go? Who hunts in the middle of a crowd?"

"Dunno," answered Parker truthfully. "Who?"

Lily shrugged. "Haven't the faintest idea. Hungry?" Lowering her hands, she led Parker onward and towards a small restaurant. A man came bursting out of the door both angrily and smug (but mostly angry). Lily's eyebrows furrowed. "Strange…I feel as though I recognise that man." They strolled into the restaurant and the waiter near the door clearly knew her and gestured to a reserved table at the front window. "Thank you, Tom," Lily said with a nod.

Taking her coat off, she sat down on the bench seat at the side of the table and immediately turned sideways so that she could see clearly out of the window. As Tom took down the 'Reserved' sign off the table, Parker sat down on the other bench seat with her back to the window, and took off her jacket. Lily nodded to a building over the road. "Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Keep your eyes on it."

Parker glanced to the place indicated. "He isn't just gonna ring the doorbell, though, is he? He'd need to be mad."

"He has killed four people," Lily pointed out.

"Okay…Good point."

The man who was both manager and owner of the restaurant came over, clearly pleased to see Lily there.

"Lily." They shook hands. "Anything on the menu, whatever you want, free." He sat a few menus down on the table. "For you and your friend." He turned to Parker. "This woman got me off a murder charge.

"This is Angelo," Lily introduced. Angelo offered his hand to Parker, who shook it. "Three years ago I successfully proved to Lestrade at the time of a particularly vicious triple murder that Angelo was in a completely different part of town, house-breaking."

"She cleared my name," Angelo said to Parker.

"A bit. I cleared it a bit. Anything happening opposite?"

"Nothing." He looked at Parker again. "But for this lady, I'd have gone to prison."

"You did go to prison."

Later, Parker had a plate of food in front of her and is ate as Lily's attention was fixed out of the window and she was quietly drumming her fingers on the table. "People don't have archenemies," Parker said.

It took a moment, but Lily finally looked around. "I'm sorry?"

"In real life," elaborated Parker. "There are no archenemies in real life. It doesn't happen."

Lily was disinterested in the conversation and continued looking out of the window again. "Well who made those doombots during our battle when we were fourteen, hm? Wouldn't they be considered an archenemy to the Golden Trio?"

"Not so loud!" Parker hissed quietly, checking her surroundings. She sighed. "So who did I meet?"

"What do real people have, then, in their 'real lives'?" Lily asked, ignoring the question. "Or would you even know? You aren't exactly normal and there's no denying it."

"Friends; people they know; people they like; people they don't like…boyfriends…girlfriends."

"You're my friend."

"But more friends!" Parker protested. She sighed and shook her head. "Whatever…"

She continued eating. Lily looked at her suspiciously for a moment but then turned her attention out of the window again. However, she then appeared to replay Parker's previous statement in her head and looked a little startled. Turning her head towards Parker again, she started speaking rather awkwardly but rapidly sped up and was almost babbling by the time Parker interrupted her. "Boyfriend? You mean you had a boyfriend? You hooked up with someone and actually got a boyfriend who you actually–"

"No…" Parker interjected, clearly covering up something. "No…I never got a boyfriend…no dates or anything. After the doombot war I became unattached."

Lily turned her attention back to the street. Parker looked away with a bemused expression on her face as if asking herself, 'What the heck was all that about?!' Just then, Elizabeth walked over to them. "I thought I heard your voices," she said with a grin.

Lily looked up. "Elizabeth! I thought you were on a date!"

Elizabeth plopped down next to her friends. "Keyword: were." She sighed and shook her head. "He wasn't right for me…"

Parker then realised. "The man coming out of the restaurant–"

"I knew I recognised him!" said Lily. She peered out the window again. "Look across the street. Taxi." Elizabeth glanced over and Parker twisted in her seat to look out of the window where a taxi had parked at the side of the road with its back end towards the restaurant.

"Stopped," muttered Elizabeth. "Nobody getting in, and nobody getting out. Why?"

In the rear seat of the taxi the male passenger was looking through the side windows as if trying to see somebody particular.

"Why a taxi?" Lily asked to herself. "Oh, that's clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever?"

"So that's him?" asked Parker.

"You two, don't stare."

Elizabeth looked round at Lily. "You're staring. And at what, may I ask?"

"We can't all stare. And I do believe that is our Pink Lady murderer."

Getting to her feet, Lily grabbed her coat and headed for the door. Elizabeth jumped up and did the same. Parker picked up her own jacket and followed…completely forgetting to take her walking cane with her. Outside the door, Lily shrugged herself into her coat while keeping her eyes fixed on the taxi. The passenger continued to look around her, then turned and looked out of the back window. His gaze fell on the restaurant and he looked at it for a few moments while the Trio stared back at him, then the man turned towards the front of the vehicle and the taxi began to pull away from the kerb. Lily immediately headed towards it without bothering to check the road that she was running into and was almost run over by a car coming from her left. The driver slammed on the brakes and stopped the car but Lily, always keen to take the quickest route, allowed her forward impetus to carry her onto the top of the bonnet. She rolled over the bonnet, landed on her feet on the other side and then ran after the taxi. With this and the slightest touch of her super speed, Lily was getting far ahead. Elizabeth ran quickly around the front of the car. As the driver of the car angrily sounded his horn, Parker put one hand on the bonnet and vaulted over the front of the car, apologising to the driver as she went.

"Sorry."

She chased after Lily and Elizabeth, who ran a few yards up the road before realising that neither of them were going to catch the taxi without their exposing powers, slowed to a halt. Parker caught up and stopped beside them. "I've got the cab number," she said.

"Good for you," panted Lily. She turned to Elizabeth. "You've flown over this city several times, surely you can come up with a fast route!"

Elizabeth closed her eyes tightly and tried to remember London from the sky. She shot out the words like rapid fire. "Right turn, one way, roadworks, traffic lights, bus lane, pedestrian crossing, left turn only, traffic lights."

Elizabeth raced forward and Lily was right beside. Lily ran towards a man and grabbed him, shoving him out of the way before charging into the building. "OI!"

Parker hurried after her superhero friends, raising an apologetic hand to the man as she passed by. "Sorry!"

The three of them raced up the stairs and out onto a metal spiral fire escape staircase leading to the roof. Lily, the super speed git, took steps two or even three at a time and Elizabeth used her flight to boost her while Parker struggled to keep up with them as she scurried up behind. "Come on, Nightingale," groaned Lily.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Lily ran to the edge and looked over before seeing a shorter metal spiral staircase leading down the side of the building to another door one floor lower. She galloped down the stairs and climbed onto the railing before leaping across the gap to the next building. Parker scrambled onto the railing and followed. Elizabeth ran across to the other side of the roof and used her flight to get her simply across to the next building. Lily took a running jump and made it perfectly fine. Parker raced after them, but then skidded to a halt as she realised that the gap may be too big for her to jump across. Parker hesitated, looking down at the drop beneath her

"Come on, Parker!" said Lily with no sympathy, but irritably. "We're losing him!" Parker backed up a few paces and braced herself. She took a run-up and leapt the gap. Dropping down onto a walkway along the side of the building, the girls ran onwards. As the taxi continued its journey on the ground, the Golden Trio galloped down another metal staircase, then ran to a ledge and dropped down into an alleyway before running onwards again. Elizabeth was at the front, leading Lily as Parker trailed behind, down the alleyway as her mental map showed their location in comparison to where the taxi would probably be. Their paths were beginning to get closer and closer and they were heading towards a point where the Trio would exit the alleyway onto D'Arblay Street, which the taxi was just turning into. Elizabeth turned the corner and raced down the last part of the alley Lily by her side, only to see the taxi drive past the end, heading to the left.

"Ah, no!" Elizabeth said angrily. Without breaking stride, she raced out of the end of the alley and turned right. "This way, guys!" Instinctively Parker turned left in pursuit of the taxi. "No, this way!"

"Sorry."

She turned and headed back in the opposite direction, following her fellow heroes. In Elizabeth's mind-map, she picked a new point where she and the others could intercept the cab. The girls ran down the street, taking a shorter route than the taxi which was being diverted by various road signs, taking it the long way around. They headed down more alleyways and side streets towards the interception point in Wardour Street and finally, at the precise point which her mental map predicted, Elizabeth raced out of a side street, Lily using some quick superpowers to get ahead. Lily hurled herself into the path of the approaching cab, which screeched to a halt as she crashed hard into the bonnet. Scrabbling in her left coat pocket, Lily pulled out an I.D. badge and flashed it at the driver as she ran to the right hand side of the cab.

"Police!" she panted. "Open her up!"

Panting heavily, she tugged open the rear door and stared in at the passenger, who looked back at her anxiously. Elizabeth ran up. Instantly, Lily straightened up in exasperation just as Parker joined them. "No," she said quietly. She leaned down again to look at the passenger a second time. She looked at something on the floor in front of the passenger. "L.A., Santa Monica. Just arrived." She straightened up again, grimacing.

"How can you possibly know that?" Parker asked.

"The luggage." Parker and Elizabeth's eyes moved down at the suitcase on the floor of the cab and its luggage label showed that the man had flown from LAX, Los Angeles International Airport, to LHR, London Heathrow Airport. Lily turned to the passenger. "It's probably your first trip to London, right?"

"Sorry–" said the passenger, with a definite American accent, "are you guys the police?"

"Er…Yeah…" Elizabeth said. Lily flashed the I.D. badge briefly at the man. "Everything all right?" Elizabeth asked.

The passenger smiled unsurely. "Yeah." The Golden Trio was quiet for a moment as if wondering how to finish this conversation, then Lily smiled falsely at the man. "Welcome to London." She immediately walked away, pulling Parker behind her and leaving Elizabeth staring blankly for a moment before she stepped closer to the taxi door and looked in at the passenger.

"Any problems you just let us know."

As the man nodded, Elizabeth smiled politely and slammed the cab door shut. The man looked round to the taxi driver in bewilderment. Elizabeth walked to where Lily had stopped a few yards behind the vehicle.

"Basically just a cab that happened to slow down," said Parker, "not the murderer."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Wrong country, good alibi."

"As they go," Lily said.

Parker noticed Lily switch the I.D. card from one hand to the other. "Hey, where-where did you get this? Here."

She reached for the card and Lily released it into Parker's grasp. "Right…"

Elizabeth glanced over and looked at the name. "Detective Inspector Lestrade?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "I pickpocket him when he's annoying – which is a lot. Either of you can keep that one, I've got plenty at the flat." Parker nodded, then looked down at the card again before lifting her head and giggling silently. "What?" Lily asked.

"Nothing, just: 'Welcome to London'."

Lily chuckled, then looked down the road to where a police officer had apparently gone to investigate why the cab had stopped in the middle of the road. The passenger had gotten out and was pointing down the road towards the Golden Trio. "Got your breath back?" Lily asked.

"Ready when you are," Elizabeth said. They all turned and ran off down the road.

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

At 313G, the girls had arrived back and walked along the hallway, breathing heavily. Parker hung her jacket on a hook on the wall while Lily draped her coat over the bottom of the bannisters and Elizabeth left her's on. "Okay," Parker panted, "that was ridiculous." They leaned side by side against the wall, still trying to catch their breath. "That was…the most ridiculous…thing I've ever done."

"And you climbed into a doombot when it exploded," said Elizabeth.

Parker giggled adorably for a moment before Elizabeth and Lily joined briefly. "Well I wasn't the only one who fought those things," she said, nudging Elizabeth and grinning at Lily. Lily chuckled. "Why aren't we back at the restaurant?" Parker asked.

Lily became more serious and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, they can keep an eye out. It was a long shot anyway."

"So what were we doing there?" she asked. "Other than Elizabeth, of course. Her and her date.

Lily cleared her throat. "Oh, just passing the time…" She looked pointedly at Parker. "…And proving a point."

"What? What point?"

Lily smirked. "You." She turned and called loudly towards the door to Mrs. Coleman's flat. "Mrs Coleman! Doctor Kiehof will take the room upstairs!"

Parker was taken aback. "Says who?"

Lily nodded towards the front door. "Says the man at the door."

Parker turned her head towards the door just as someone knocked on it four times. She turned back to look at Lily in surprise. Crystal merely smiled. Parker stared at her for a moment, then walked along the hall to answer the door. Lily leaned her head against the wall and blew out a breath, Elizabeth going over to her, wanting an explanation. Parker opened the door and found Angelo standing outside.

"Lily texted me," he said. Smiling, he held up Parker's walking cane. "She said you forgot this."

Parker stared at the cane in surprise, then took it a bit awkwardly. "Ah…" She turned and looked down the hall to Lily, who grinned at her. Elizabeth gave Parker a thumbs-up.

Parker turned back to Angelo. "Er, thank you. Thank you."

As she came back in and closed the door, Mrs. Coleman came out of her flat and hurried over to the girls. She sounded upset and almost tearful as she spoke.

"Lily, Elizabeth, what have you done?" she asked.

"Mrs. Coleman?" Elizabeth asked in concern.

"Upstairs," the elder woman said.

Elizabeth turned and hurried up the stairs, Parker and Lily following her. Elizabeth opened the living room door and went inside, where she and the others found D.I. Lestrade sitting casually in the armchair facing the door. Other police officers were going through Lily and Elizabeth's various possessions. Elizabeth stormed over to Lestrade.

"What is this?" she asked in outrage.

Lestrade shrugged. "Well, I knew Lily'd find the case. I'm not stupid."

"You can't just break into my flat!" Lily protested.

"And you can't withhold evidence," retorted Lestrade. "And I didn't break into your flat."

"Oh? Well, what do you call this then?"

Lestrade looked around at his officers before looking back to the Golden Trio innocently. "It's a drugs bust."

"Seriously?!" Parker asked in outrage. "You could search every crevice and crack – no pun intended – but I guarantee you won't find anything!"

"It's an inside joke between Lily and I," he explained.

"I am not your sniffer dog!" Lily said, turning towards Lestrade.

"No, Anderson's my sniffer dog." He nodded towards the kitchen.

"What? An–" The closed doors to the kitchen slid open and revealed several more officers in there searching through the room. Anderson turned towards the living room and raised his hand in sarcastic greeting. Lily was livid. "Anderson, what are you doing here on a drugs bust?"

"Oh, I volunteered," Anderson said venomously.

Lily turned away, biting her lip angrily.

"They all did," elaborated Lestrade. "They're not strictly speaking on the drugs squad, but they're very keen." Donovan came into view from the kitchen, holding a small glass jar with some white round objects in it.

"Are these human eyes?"

"…No…"

"They were in the microwave!"

"It's an experiment," said Lily.

"Keep looking, guys," Lestrade ordered. He stood up and turned to Lily. "Or you could help us properly and I'll stand them down."

Lily was pacing angrily and Elizabeth spoke up. "This is childish," she said.

"Well, I'm dealing with a child." He turned to Lily. "Lily, this is our case. I'm letting you in, but you do not go off on your own. Clear?"

Lily stopped and glared at him the detective. "Oh, what, so-so-so you set up a pretend drugs bust to bully me?"

"So let's work together," Lestrade suggested. "We've found Rachel."

Lily turned back to him and Elizabeth looked up. "Who is she?"

"Jennifer Wilson's only daughter."

Lily frowned. "Her daughter? Why would she write her daughter's name? Why?"

"Never mind that," said Anderson. "We found the case!" He pointed to the pink suitcase in the living room. "According to someone, the murderer has the case, and we found it in the hands of our favourite freak!"

Lily looked at him disparagingly. "I'm not a freak, Anderson. I merely have special abilities in which normal, boring people lack. Do your research!" She turned back to Lestrade. "You need to bring Rachel in. You need to question her. We need to question her," she said, gesturing to Elizabeth and Parker.

"She's dead," said Lestrade.

"Really?" asked Elizabeth. Parker was startled.

"How, when, and why?" wondered Lily. "Is there a connection? There has to be!"

"Well, I doubt it," Lestrade said, "since she's been dead for fourteen years. Technically she was never alive. Rachel was Jennifer Wilson's stillborn daughter, fourteen years ago."

Parker grimaced sadly and turned away. Elizabeth frowned. Lily, on the other hand, just looked confused. "No," Lily whispered, "that's…that's not right. How…Why would she do that? Why?"

"Why would she think of her daughter in her last moments?!" Anderson said. "Yup – freak; I'm seeing it now."

Lily turned to him with an exasperated look on her face. "She didn't just think about her daughter. She scratched her name on the floor with her fingernails. She was dying. It took effort. It would have hurt." She began to pace back and forth across the room again.

"You said that the victims all took the poison themselves," said Elizabeth, "that he makes them take it. Well, maybe he…I don't know, talks to them? Maybe he used the death of her daughter somehow."

Lily stopped and turned to him. "Yeah, but that was ages ago. Why would she still be upset?"

Parker gaped at her. Elizabeth was shocked and the slightest bit angry. Lily hesitated as she realised that everyone in the flat had stopped what they're doing and had fallen silent. She glanced around the room and then looked awkwardly at her friends. "You know how you think something in your head and it sounds okay but when you say it out loud it doesn't work out the way you thought it would?" Everyone slowly started going back to what they were doing. Lily shook it off and stepped closer to Parker, looking at her intently. "If you were dying…if you'd been murdered: in your very last few seconds what would you say?"

"Oh please, heaven help me, let me live."

"Oh, use your imagination!" Lily said exasperatedly.

"I don't have to," Parker said with a shrug. Lily seemed to recognise the look of pain in Parker's face. The same pain she held when she was rolled away on the gurney after the doombot she was inside exploded. Elizabeth recognised it too and shot Lily a disappointed glare. Lily paused momentarily and blinked a couple of times, shifting her feet apologetically before continuing.

"Yeah, but if you were clever, really, really clever…Jennifer Wilson, running all those lovers: she was clever." She started to pace again. "She's trying to tell us something."

Mrs. Coleman came to the door of the living room. "Isn't the doorbell working?Your taxi's here, Lily."

"I didn't order a taxi. Please leave us be."

She continued pacing as Mrs. Coleman looked around the room. "Oh, dear," she said. "They're making such a mess. What are they looking for?"

"It's a drugs bust, Mrs. Coleman," Elizabeth explained.

Mrs. Coleman was anxious. "But they're just for my shoulder. They're herbal soothers."

So many people were speaking. There was so much talking. Parker heard beyond that though, she heard thoughts. So many thoughts. She couldn't take it. There was so much commotion that no one else could understand.

"Shut up, everybody, shut up!" she yelled. "Don't move, don't speak, don't breathe! Don't even think! Especially don't think! I need silence." She could still hear Anderson thinking. "Anderson, face the other way. You're putting me off."

Anderson was taken aback from mild mannered Parker's outburst. "What? My face is?!"

"Everybody quiet and still," Lestrade said. "Anderson, turn your back."

"Oh, for Pete's sake!"

"Your back, now, please!" Lestrade ordered.

Everyone was silent. Closing her eyes, Parker tried to calm herself. After a moment she opened her eyes again.

"Come on," said Elizabeth, knowing why Parker yelled, "we need to think. Quick!"

"Lily," said Mrs. Coleman, "What about your taxi?"

Lily turned to her and shouted under the stress. "Mrs. Coleman, please!" Their landlady turned and hurried away down the stairs.

Elizabeth's eyes brightened and she looked around as she finally realised something. "Oh." She smiled in delight. "Ah! She was clever, clever, yes! Jennifer was clever!" She walked across the room and then turned back to the others. "She's cleverer than you lot and she's dead. Do you see, do you get it? She didn't lose her phone, she never lost it. She planted it on him!"

She started pacing and Lily caught on. "When she got out of the car, she knew that she was going to her death," Lily said. "She left the phone–"

"–in order to lead us to her killer," Liz finished with a grin.

Lestrade was admittedly confused. "But how?"

Lily stopped and stared at him. "Wha'...? What do you mean, how?" Lestrade shrugged.

"Rachel!" Elizabeth said.

The Duo looked at everyone triumphantly. They all looked back at them blankly, including Parker. "Don't you see?" Lily asked. "Rachel!" Still, everyone looks blank. "Rachel is not a name."

"Then what is it?" asked Parker, getting a bit annoyed.

"Parker," said Elizabeth, "on the luggage, there's a label. E-mail address." Parker looked at the label on the suitcase and read out the address.

"Er…jennie dot pink at mephone dot org dot uk."

Elizabeth had sat down at the dining table and was looking at her computer notebook. "Why didn't we catch this earlier? She didn't have a laptop, which means she did her business on her phone, so it's a smartphone, it's e-mail enabled."  
She pulled up Mephone's website and typed the email address into the 'User name' box.

"So there was a website for her account," Lily explained. "The username is her e-mail address…

Elizabeth began to type into the 'Password' box. "And…all together now, the password is?"

Parker walked over to stand behind Elizabeth. "Rachel."

"So we can read her e-mails," said Anderson. "So what?"

Lily sighed, annoyed. "Anderson, don't talk out loud. You lower the I.Q. of the whole street. We can do much more than just read her e-mails. It's a smartphone, it's got GPS, which means if you lose it you can locate it online. She's leading us directly to the man who killed her."

"Unless he got rid of it," Lestrade said.

"We know he didn't," assured Parker.

Lily looked over Elizabeth's shoulder at the screen impatiently. "Come on," she said, "come on. Quickly!" Elizabeth stood and went to talk to Lestrade.

Mrs. Coleman trotted up the stairs and came to the door again. "Lily, sweetie. This taxi driver…"

Lily walked over towards her. "Mrs. Coleman, isn't it time for your evening soother?"

Parker sat down on the chair which Elizabeth vacated and watched a clock spinning round on the website as it claimed that the phone would be located in under three minutes. "We need to get vehicles," Elizabeth said to the Detective Inspector, "get a helicopter." Mrs. Coleman looked around anxiously as a man walked slowly up the stairs behind her. "We're gonna have to move fast. This phone battery won't last for ever."

"We'll just have a map reference, not a name."

Lily joined into the conversation. "It's a start!"

On the computer, a map had appeared and was zooming in on the location of the phone.

"Guys…" Parker said.

"It narrows it down from just anyone in London," said Lily, ignoring Parker. "It's the first proper lead that we've had."

"Guys…"

Lily hurried across the room to look over Parker's shoulder. "What is it? Where?"

The map indicated the precise location of the phone. "It's here," muttered Parker. "It's here in 313 Kaber Street."

Lily straightened up. "How can it be here? How?"

"Well," suggested Elizabeth, "maybe it was in the case when you brought it back and it fell out somewhere."

"What, and I didn't notice it?"

"Anyway, we texted him and he called back," Parker said, confused about the whole situation.

Lestrade turned to call out to his colleagues. "Guys, we're also looking for a mobile somewhere here, belonged to the victim…"

Lily slowly began to tune everyone out as she began to remember everything she said. "Who do we trust, even if we don't know them?" Behind Mrs. Coleman, the man had reached the top of the stairs. He was wearing a badge in a leather holder on a cord around his neck. The badge was for a licensed London cab driver. "Who passes unnoticed wherever they go?" She slowly began to understand. "Who hunts in the middle of a crowd?" Lily turns her head, still putting it all together. On the landing, the taxi driver took a pink smartphone from his pocket and pressed the screen to send a text. A moment later, Lily's own phone trilled a text alert. Taking her phone from her jacket pocket she looked at the message which simply read: COME WITH ME. As she turned her head towards the door, the taxi driver turned around and calmly headed off down the stairs.

"Lily, you okay?" asked Elizabeth, noticing her friend having gone so quiet.

"What?" Lily said vaguely, watching the man go. "Yeah, yeah, I-I'm fine."

"So, how can the phone be here?" asked Parker.

Lily was still watching the taxi driver. "Dunno."

Parker got up to get her own phone out of her jeans pocket. "Lemme try it again."

"Good idea," Lily said quietly. She headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Fresh air. Just popping outside for a moment. Won't be long." Parker frowned as Lily left the room, and called after her.

"You sure you're all right?"

Lily started hurrying down the stairs. "I'm fine," she insisted, knowing full well she wasn't.

**A/N DUN DUN DUN! One more chapter left then I move onto the Blind Banker. I understand that lots of people don't really like that episode, but boy do I have plans! *evil grin***

**OOH! For any Whovians out there I got a 'Keep Calm and Don't Blink' shirt and a book called: Who-ology. Awesomeness!**

**(Anyone know who the Pianoguys are? I got one of their piano books too :D)**


	4. Chapter 4

4: A Study in Pink - Part IV

**A/N I'm almost done with working on the Hounds of Baskerville right now so I'll be posting more often! :D**

**Noodle Fanatic - Thank you! Hey, maybe we could make a Golden Trifecta episode :D**

**PromiseMe (guest) - I'm pretty sure everyone is excited! :D Thank you!**

Downstairs, Lily opened the front door and stood on the doorstep for a moment as she shrugged herself into her dark brown coat. A taxi was parked at the kerb and the driver, Jefferson Hope, was leaning casually against the side of the cab. "Taxi for Lily Falda."

Lily stepped forward, closing the door behind her. "But I didn't order a taxi," she said.

"Doesn't mean you don't need one," said Jeff.

"So you're the cabbie," said Lily. "The one who stopped outside Northumberland Street? It was you, not your passenger."

Jefferson smiled. "See? No one ever thinks about the cabbie. It's like you're invisible. Just the back of an 'ead. Proper advantage for a serial killer."

Lily took a few more steps forward and looked up towards the windows of her flat. "So is this a confession?"

"Oh, yeah. An' I'll tell you what else: if you call the coppers now, I won't run. I'll sit quiet and they can take me down, I promise."

Lily folded her arms. "Why?"

"'Cause you're not gonna do that," Jefferson said confidently.

"Oh, I'm not?"

"I didn't kill those four people, Ms. Falda. I spoke to 'em…and they killed themselves. An' if you get the coppers now, I promise you one thing." He leaned forward. "I will never tell you what I said."

Lily stared at him. After a moment, Jeff straightened up and started to walk around the front of the cab. "No one else will die, though," said Lily, "and I believe they call that a result."

Jeff stopped and turned back towards Crystal. "An' you won't ever understand how those people died. What kind of result do you care about?" He turned again and continued around to the driver's door. Getting in, he sat down and closed the door, settling into his seat and ignoring Lily. Biting his lip, Lily walked up closer to the cab, looking up again at the flat windows, then she bent and looked into the open side window of the cab.

"Well if I did want to understand, what would I do?" Lily asked.

Jefferson turned to look at her. "Let me take you for a ride."

"What, so you can kill me too?" Lily asked in a breath of laughter.

"I don't wanna kill you, Ms. Falda. I'm gonna talk to yer…and then you're gonna kill yourself." He turned to face the front again. Lily straightened up, her eyes lost in thought as she considered the pros and cons of the situation. Jeff calmly sat gazing out of the front window, then smiled in satisfaction as the rear door opened. The cab dipped as Lily got in and then the door slammed shut. Jeff started the engine.

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She just got into a cab," Parker said. She turned to Lestrade. "It's Lily. She just drove off in a cab."

Donovan stood beside Lestrade and in irritation. "I told you, she does that." She turned to Lestrade. She bloody left again." She walked back into the kitchen and spoke loudly. "We're wasting our time!"

Elizabeth turned to Lestrade with her phone in hand. "I'm calling the phone. It's ringing out."

"If it's ringing, it's not here," Lestrade said.

Elizabeth lowered her phone and reached for the computer notebook. "I'll try the search again."

Donovan came back to confront Lestrade. "Does it matter? Does any of it? You know, she's just a lunatic, and she'll always let you down, and you're wasting your time. All our time." Lestrade stareed at her for a long moment as she held his gaze, then he sighed in defeat.

"Okay, everybody," Lestrade said loudly. "Done 'ere."

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In the cab, Lily watched the London scenery pass by. "How did you find me?" Lily asked.

"Oh, I recognised yer," Jeff said, "soon as I saw you chasing my cab. Lily Falda! I was warned about your whole group o' friends. You Trio. I've been on your website, too. Life of a Detective Hero. Can't believed you revealed information like that! Made it real easy to find out who you really are."

Lily's blood froze. "Who warned you about me?" she asked, avoiding the subject.

"Just someone out there who's noticed the Golden Trio," Jeff said.

"Who?" insisted Lily. She leaned forward, looking closely at the side of Jeff's neck, then noticed a photograph of a young boy and girl attached to the dashboard of the cab. "Who would notice us?"

Jeff meeting her eyes briefly in the rear view mirror. "You're too modest, Ms. Falda."

Lily actually laughed aloud. "I'm really not."

"You've got your Trio a fan," Jefferson said.

"Tell me more," Lily said nonchalantly, sitting back in her seat.

"That's all you're gonna know…" He paused dramatically for a moment. "…in this lifetime," Jeff finished quietly.

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Back Kaber Street, as the other police officers left, Lestrade picked up his coat and turned to Elizabeth and Parker. "Why did she do that?" Lestrade asked exasperatedly. "Why did she have to leave?"

Parker shrugged. "You know her better as an adult than I do. I only met her teenage self."

Lestrade shook his head. "I've known her for five years and no, I don't."

"So why do you put up with her? With us?" Elizabeth asked.

"Because I'm desperate," admitted the Detective Inspector, "that's why." He walked to the door, then turned back. "And because Lily Falda is a great person. And I think one day, if we're very, very lucky, she might even be a good one."

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Some distance away, the cab drove on and finally stopped at the front of two identical buildings side by side. Jeff turned off the engine and got out, coming to the passenger door and opening it. He looked in at Lily. "Where are we?" Lily asked.

"Roland-Kerr Further Education College. It's open; cleaners are in. One thing about being a cabbie: you always know a nice quiet spot for a murder. I'm surprised more of us don't branch out."

Lily rolled her eyes. "And you just walk your victims in? How?" Jeff raised a pistol and pointed it at Lily. Lily rolled her eyes and turned her head away. "Perfect," she muttered sarcastically.

"Don't worry. It gets better."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "You can't make people take their own lives at gunpoint."

"I don't," Jeff insisted. "It's much better than that." He lowered the gun. "I don't need this with you, 'cause you'll just follow me." He confidently strode away. Lily merely sat for a moment, then grimaced in exasperation at herself as she did just what Jeff predicted and got out of the cab to followed the man.

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Parker and Elizabeth sat alone in the flat. "Well…" said Parker, "I'm going home." She stood and walked towards the living room door, Elizabeth not looking up from the floor or saying a word. Parker then looked down and clenched her right hand as if realising that she did have her walking cane. She looked around and saw the cane lying on top of a box of papers next to the dining table. Parker went over to collect it. With its back to her, Elizabeth's notebook was still on Mephone's website and the clock was spinning on the screen as the site searched for Jennifer Wilson's phone. As Parker picked up the cane and headed for the door again, the computer beeped triumphantly and a map appeared on the screen and started to zoom in on the location of the phone. Elizabeth and Parker both turned as the computer beeped repeatedly. Elizabeth jumped from her seat and she picked up the notebook and looked at the screen. Parker leaned her cane against a chair and walked over. Once Parker got a look Elizabeth turned and took the notebook with her as she hurried out of the door and down the stairs. Parker followed in hot pursuit, once again forgetting to take her cane.

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At Roland-Kerr College, Jeff opened the door of a room and stood aside so that Lily could go on in. Lily looked at him closely but stepped inside the room, then Jeff released the door and let it swing closed as he walked over to some switches on the wall and turned on the lights. The two of them were in a large classroom which had long fixed wooden benches and plastic chairs. Lily walked deeper into the room, looking around.

"Well, what do you think?" Jefferson asked. Lily raised her hands and shrugged as if to ask, 'What do I think about what?' "It's up to you. You're the one who's gonna die 'ere."

Lily turned back to him. "No, I'm not," she said confidently.

"That's what they all say," Jeff said. He gestured to one of the benches.

"Shall we talk?"

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. Lily took a chair from the bench in front and sat in it backwards. She sighed dramatically. "Bit risky, wasn't it?" she asked. "Took me away under the eye of about half a dozen policemen. They're not that stupid. And Mrs. Coleman will remember you."

"You call that a risk?" Jeff asked. "Naah." He reached into the left pocket of his cardigan. "This is a risk." He took out a small glass bottle with a screw top on it and put it onto the table in front of him. There was a single large capsule inside. Lily looked at it but did not react in any particular way. "Ooh, I like this bit. 'Cause you don't get it yet, do yer? But you're about to. I just have to do this." Reaching into his right pocket, Jefferson took out an identical bottle containing an identical capsule and put it onto the table beside the first bottle. "You weren't expecting that, were yer?" Lily rolled her eyes. Jeff leaned forward. "Ooh, you're going to love this."

"Love what?"

Jeff sat back down again "Lily Falda. Look at you! 'Ere in the flesh. That website of yours: the fan of your Golden Trio told me about it."

"Our fan?"

"Yeah. 'Next Age of Heroes'. Love that site! Although, if you do enough connecting, it does give away your secret identity. Might wanna work out that bug."

Lily held his gaze for a second or two, then looked down to the table. "Okay," she said, "two bottles. Explain."

Jeff smirked. "There's a good bottle and a bad bottle. You take the pill from the good bottle, you live; take the pill from the bad bottle, you die."

"And both bottles are, of course, identical."

"In every way," Jeff said proudly.

"And you know which is which."

"Well o' course I know."

"But I don't."

"Wouldn't be a game if you knew," Jeff said. He smiled a bit. "You're the one who chooses."

Lily's gaze hardened. "Why should I? I've got nothing to go on. What's in it for me?"

"I 'aven't told you the best bit yet," Jeff explained. "Whatever bottle you choose, I take the pill from the other one – and then, together, we take our medicine." Lily was thoroughly freaked out, but did not show it. She was, however, interested all the same. "I won't cheat. It's your choice. I'll take whatever pill you don't." Lily looked down at the bottles, concentrating properly now. "Didn't expect that, did you, Ms. Falda?"

"This is what you did to the rest of them? You gave them a choice?"

Jeff nodded. "And now I'm givin' you one." Lily looked up at him.

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Parker was in the back of a taxi with Elizabeth. Elizabeth had the computer notebook open on her lap and Parker was holding her phone to her ear. "No, Detective Inspector Lestrade. I need to speak to him. It's important. It's an emergency!"

The map on the laptop showed the location of Jennifer's phone again. "Left here, please," said Elizabeth. "Left here."

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Jeff looked down at the bottles briefly then met Lily's eyes. "You ready yet, Ms. Falda? Ready to play?"

"Play?" Crystal asked. "Play what? It's a fifty-fifty chance."

"You're not playin' the numbers, you're playin' me. Did I just give you the good pill or the bad pill? Is it a bluff? Or a double-bluff? Or a triple-bluff?"

"Still just chance," Lily growled.

"Four people in a row?" asked Jefferson. "It's not just chance."

"It…Is…Luck."

"It's genius. I know 'ow people think." Lily rolled her eyes. "I know 'ow people think I think. I can see it all, like a map inside my 'ead."

"Oh, so you're a telepath too?"

Jefferson shook his head. "No…Not like Nightingale…not like Doctor Kiehof." Lily froze. "Oh yes, I know all of your identities…"

Lily lifted her folded hands in front of her mouth and gazed at Jeff intently. "So, you risked your life four times just to kill strangers. Why?"

Jeff nodded down to the bottles. "Time to play," he said simply.

Lily unfolded her fingers and adopted a prayer position in front of her mouth. "Oh, yes, I am playing. This is my turn. There's shaving foam behind your left ear. Nobody's pointed it out to you. Traces of where it's happened before, so obviously you live on your own; there's no one to tell you." Jeff tried not to fidget under Lily's intent gaze but failed. "But there's a photograph of children in the cab. The children's mother has been cut out of the picture. If she'd died, she'd still be there. The photograph's old but the frame's new. You think of your children but you don't get to see them." Jeff's gaze slid away from Lily and for the first time there was a hint of pain in his eyes. "Estranged father. She took the kids, but you still love them and it still hurts." Lily extended her index fingers in a pointing gesture. "Ah, but there's more." Jeff lifted his gaze back to Lily as he pointed her index fingers towards him. "Your clothes: recently laundered but everything you're wearing's at least…what…three years old? Keeping up appearances but not planning ahead. And here you are on a kamikaze murder spree. What's that about?" Jeff had got control of himself again and his expression said nothing as he gazed back at Lily. The superhero's eyes widened slightly as she began to realise the most important detail.

"Aaah," she said softly. "Three years ago – is that when they told you?"

"Told me what?" Jeff asked flatly.

"…That you're a dead man walking.

"Well so are you."

"But you don't have long, though. Am I right?"

Jeff smiled sadly. "Aneurism." He lifted his right hand and tapped the side of his head. "Right in 'ere. Any breath could be my last."

Lily was frowning again. "And because you're dying, you've just murdered four people?"

"I've outlived four people," Jeff corrected. "That's the most fun you can 'ave on an aneurism."

"No," said Lily thoughtfully. "No, there's something else, isn't there. You didn't just kill four people because you're bitter. Bitterness is a paralytic. Love is a much more vicious motivator, I would know…Somehow this is about your children."

Jeff looked away and sighed. "Oh boy." He looked at Lily again. You are admittedly better than I had anticipated. You're good, ain't you?"

"But how?"

"When I die, they won't get much, my kids. Not a lot of money in driving cabs."

"Or serial killing," Lily retorted.

"You'd be surprised."

"Then surprise me."

Jeff leaned forward. "I 'ave a sponsor."

Lily was slightly shocked. "You have a what?"

"For every life I take, money goes to my kids," Jeff explained. "The more I kill, the better off they'll be. You see? It's nicer than you think."

Lily frowned. "Who'd sponsor a serial killer?"

"Who'd be a fan of the Golden Trio?" Jeff asked instantly.

"But why me?" asked Lily. "Why not Nightingale, or Wonder?"

They stared at each other for a moment. "Because you like solving crimes. You're not the only one to enjoy a good mystery. A good villain. A good problem. There's others out there just like you, except you're just a person…and they're so much more than that."

The side of Lily's nose twitched in distaste. "What d'you mean…more? An organisation? What?"

Jeff looked smug with himself. "There's a name no one says, an' I'm not gonna say it either. Now, enough chatter." He nodded down to the bottles. "Time to choose." Lily looked down to the bottles, her eyes moving from one to the other.

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Elsewhere in the college, Elizabeth and Parker were running through the corridors. "Lily!" Parker called out. She ran from door to door, trying them and peering in through windows. "Lily!"

Elizabeth put a hand on Parker's shoulder. "We're getting nowhere. We need to split up."

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"What if I don't choose either?" Lily asked. "I could just walk out of here," she said, nodding towards the door.

Sighing in a combination of exasperation and disappointment, Jeff lifted up the pistol and pointed it at Lily. "You can take your fifty-fifty chance, or I can shoot you in the head." Lily smiled calmly. "Funnily enough, no-one's ever gone for that option."

Lily leaned back casually in her chair. "I'll have the gun, please."

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Lily was still smiling. "Definitely. The gun."

"You don't wanna phone a friend? Possibly two?"

Lily smiled confidently. "The gun." Jeff's mouth tightened and he slowly squeezed the trigger. A small flame burst out of the end of the muzzle. Lily smiled smugly to herself. "I know a real gun when I see one. I've come face to face with enough to know."

Calmly, Jeff lifted the pistol/cigarette lighter and released the trigger. The flame went out. "None of the others did."

"Clearly." Lily let out a breath. "Well, this has been very interesting. I look forward to the court case."

She stood up and walked towards the door. Jeff put the gun onto the desk and calmly turned in his seat. "Just before you go, did you figure it out…" Lily stopped at the door and half-turned towards him. "…which one's the good bottle?"

"Of course," Lily said hesitantly. "Child's play…"

"Well, which one, then?" Lily opened the door a little but showed no sign of leaving the room. "Which one would you 'ave picked, just so I know whether I could have beaten you?" Lily closed the door again. Jeff chuckled. "Come on. Play the game." Slowly, Lily walked back towards him. When she got to the table, she reaches out and swept up the bottle nearest to Jeff, then walked past him. Jeff looked down at the other bottle with interest but his voice gave nothing away as he spoke. "Oh…Interesting." He picked up the other bottle as Lily looked down at the bottle in her own hand. Jeff opened up his bottle and tipped the capsule out into his hand. He held it up and looked at it closely as Lily examines her own bottle she chose. "So what d'you think?" He looked up at Lily. "Shall we? Really, what do you think?" He stood up and faced Lily. "Can you beat me? Are you clever enough to bet your life?"

In one part of the building, Elizabeth burst through a door and stared ahead of her as she finally saw who she was looking for. Parker rushed in, having gotten turned around in her search. Both pairs of eyes filled with horror. Inside the classroom, Lily lifted her gaze from the bottle she was holding…and across the courtyard outside and in through another window, Elizabeth and Parker saw this happening, standing in an identical classroom in the other building, too far away to be of help. Parker cried out in horror. "LILY!"

Unaware that they were being watched, Jeff continued to hold up his pill as he looked at Lily. "I bet you get bored, don't you?" he said. "I know you do. A hero like you…" Lily undid the lid of the bottle, "…with your powers. But what's the point in having your powers if you can't use them without possibly being exposed?" Lily took out the capsule and held it between her thumb and finger, raising it to the light to examine it more closely. Slowly, Lily lowered the pill again, holding it at eye level and gazing at it. "…But this is what you really like, innit?" Lily held the pill in her fingers and stared at it. "You'd do anything…anything at all…" Lily's fingers began to tremble with anticipation and worry, "…to stop being bored."

Slowly, Lily began to move the pill closer to her mouth. Jeff matched the movement with his own pill. "You're not bored now, are you?" Each of their hands got closer to their own mouth. "Innit good?" A pulsing sound rang out and a bright silver beam of light impacted Jeff's chest close to his heart. As he fell to the floor, Lily dropped her pill in surprise. In the opposite building, Elizabeth had her hand still raised, palm out, it glowing a bit from the use of her powers and aimed out of the window. She lowered her hand back to her side. In the other building, Lily turned, slid over the desk behind her, and hurried to the window, bending down to stare through the melted hole in the glass. The window of the opposite room was open but there was nobody in sight. As Lily straightened up, Jeff breathed heavily and coughed. Lily turned back, looking around the room and saw one of the pills lying on the desk as Jeff convulsed on the floor and gasped and coughed in pain. Lily snatched up the pill, knelt down, and brandished it at Jeff, who had a large pool of blood underneath him and was staring up at her in shock.

"Was I right?" Lily asked. Jeff turned his head away in disbelief. "I was, wasn't I? Did I get it right?" Jeff did not reply. Lily angrily hurled the pill across the room and stood up. "Okay then, tell me this: your sponsor. Who was it? The one who told you about the Golden Trio – our 'fan'. I want a name."

"No," Jeff said weakly.

Lily glared. "You're dying, but there's still time to hurt you. Give me…a name." Jeff shook his head. Grimacing angrily, Lily lifted her foot and put it onto Jeff's shoulder. Jeff gasped out in pain. "Now." Still, Jeff could only whine in pain. Her face intent and manic, Lily leaned a majority of her weight onto her foot. Jeff whimpered. "The NAME!" Lily yelled in rage.

"MORIARTY!"

Jeff's eyes closed and his head rolled to the side. Lily stepped back, turning her head away and looking reflective. After a few seconds, she silently mouthed the word 'Moriarty' to herself.

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Outside the college, Lily was sitting on the back steps of an ambulance. A paramedic put an orange blanket around her shoulders as Lestrade walked over. Lily gestured to the blanket draped over her shoulders. "Why have I got this blanket? They keep putting this blanket on me."

"Yeah, it's for shock," Lestrade explained.

"But I'm not in shock."

Lestrade shrugged. "Yeah, but some of the guys wanna take photographs." He grinned. Lily rolled her eyes.

"So no leads on who killed him?" Lily asked, checking to make sure none of the police caught on. She would recognise that beam anywhere. She knew exactly who killed Jefferson Hope.

Lestrade shook his head. "Cleared off before we got 'ere. But a guy like that would have had enemies, I suppose. One of them could have been following him but…" he shrugged "…got nothing to go on. not even sure what weapon they used. Never seem anything like it."

Lily nodded. She turned her head to look around the area and saw Elizabeth and Parker standing some distance away behind the police tape. Elizabeth looked back at her innocently and then turned her head away. Lily got up and walked away towards her fellow heroes. Lestrade smiled as he watched her go. Taking the blanket from around her shoulders, Lily bundled it up as she approached the rest of the Golden Trio, who was standing at the side of a police car. Lily tossed the blanket through the open window of the car and ducked under the police tape.

Parker cleared her throat. "Um, Sergeant Donovan's just been explaining everything, the two pills. Been a dreadful business, hasn't it? Dreadful." Lily looked back and forth between at her and Elizabeth for a moment.

Lily smirked at Elizabeth. "You've still got good aim." Elizabeth gazed down at Lily, still trying unsuccessfully not to let her expression give her away. "Oh, for goodness sake, I'd recognise your hand-beams anywhere. I don't suppose you'd serve time for this, but it's be one heck of a story to come up with to cover your secret identity."

Elizabeth glanced around nervously. "Are you all right?" Lily asked.

"Yes, of course I'm all right."

"Well, you have just killed a man."

"But he wasn't a very nice man."

Reassured that Elizabeth was really okay, Lily nodded in agreement. "No. No, he wasn't really, was he?"

"And frankly a bloody awful cabbie," spoke up Parker.

Lily chuckled and Elizabeth snickered. Lily started to lead them away as she spoke. "That's true. He was a bad cabbie. Should have seen the route he took us to get here!"

Parker giggled, and Elizabeth started laughing. Lily failed miserably at only smiling. "Stop!" Elizabeth said. "Stop, we can't giggle, it's a crime scene! Stop it!"

Lily snickered. "You're the one who killed him. Don't blame me."

"Keep your voice down!"

They walked past Sergeant Donovan. "Sorry – it's just, um, nerves, I think," Parker said to her.

"Sorry," Lily said to Donovan.

Parker cleared her throat as the three of them walked away from Donovan. "You were gonna take that pill, weren't you?" she asked, turning to Lily.

Lily turned back to her. "Course I wasn't. Biding my time. Knew you and Liz would turn up."

"No you didn't," said Elizabeth. "It's how you get your kicks, isn't it? You risk your life to prove you still have it in you."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you're an idiot," said Parker.

Lily smiled. After a moment she forced the smile down. "Dinner?"

"Starving," Parker answered.

The Golden Trio turned and started to walk again. "End of Kaber Street, there's a good Thai that stays open 'til three," said Lily. "You can always tell a good Thai by examining the bottom third of the door handle."

"Where'd you learn this? Was working at a Thai restaurant one of your 'many jobs'?"

"…Maybe…"

As the Trio spoke with each other, a few yards ahead of them a car pulled up and the man who abducted Parker earlier got out. Parker stared. She nudged Lily lightly. "Lily. That's him. That's the man I was talking to you about."

Lily looked across at the man. "I know exactly who that is." She pointed the man out to Elizabeth, who was not pleased in the least. After Lily whispered a few words in her ear, Elizabeth led them closer to the man and stopped, looking at him angrily. Parker glanced around to gauge where the police were just in case she needed to summon their help. The man spoke pleasantly to Elizabeth.

"So, you've solved a crime with Lily, I see. How very public spirited…though that's never really your motivation, is it?"

Elizabeth glared. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"As ever, I'm concerned about you."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes, I've just been told about your '_concern_'."

The mystery man sighed. "Always so aggressive. Did it never occur to you that you and I belong on the same side?"

Elizabeth pretended to think about it for a moment. "Oddly enough, no!"

"We have more in common than you like to believe," the man said. "This petty feud between us is simply childish. People will suffer…and you know how it always upset Daddy."

Parker frowned, unsure of what she just heard. "I upset him?" Elizabeth asked, aghast. "Me?" The man glowered at her. "It wasn't me that upset him, Grant!" She spit out the last word with pure hatred in her tone.

Parker stepped in. "No, no, wait. Daddy? Who's Daddy?"

"Father – our father," Elizabeth explained. "This is my brother, Grant." Parker stared at the man in amazement and shock. Lily simply glared at him. Elizabeth turned to Grant. "Putting on weight again?" she asked.

"Losing it, in fact," Grant said irritably.

"He's your brother?!" Parker said, still in shock.

"Yes, he's my brother."

"So he's not…"

"Not what?"

The siblings and Lily looked at Parker as she shrugged in embarrassment. "I dunno – criminal mastermind?" Lily barely stifled a snigger.

Parker grimaced at having even suggested it. Elizabeth looked at Grant disparagingly. "Close enough."

"For goodness sake," sighed Grant. "I occupy a minor position in the British government."

"He is the British government," said Elizabeth, "when he's not too busy being the British Secret Service or the CIA on a freelance basis." Grant sighed. "Good evening, Grant. Try not to start a war before I get home. You know what it does for the traffic."

She stormed away, nose in the air, Lily glaring at Grant before following right behind. Parker started to follow her but then turned back to Grant, who had turned to watch his sister.

"So, when-when you say you're concerned about her, you actually are concerned?"

"Yes, of course."

"I mean, it actually is a childish feud?"

Grant didn't take his eyes off of his sister. "She's always been so resentful. You can imagine the Christmas dinners."

Parker was scarred at the mere thought. "But…I met Elizabeth when I was five! I never met you. How much older than her are you?" Grant merely glared pointedly at Parker. She felt a bit awkward and began to slowly shuffle away.

"I-I'd better, um…" She turned back to not-Leon, who had been standing nearby throughout the conversation with his eyes intently fixed on his BlackBerry. "Hello again."

He looked up and smiled at her brightly. "Hello."

"Yes, we-we met earlier on this evening."

He stared at her as if he had never seen her before but reacted as if he was trying to pretend that be remembered her. "Oh!"

"Okay, good night," Parker said awkwardly. She included Grant in her glance, then turned and followed after Lily and Elizabeth.

"Good night, Doctor Kiehof," Grant muttered.

Parker caught up to the others and they all walked away side by side. "You know what's fun?" asked Lily.

"What?" Parker wondered.

"Trying to predict fortune cookies!"

Parker laughed.

"So did you get injured?" Elizabeth asked. "In the doombot invasion?"

"Oh, yeah. Shoulder."

"Shoulder!" exclaimed Lily. "I thought so."

"No you didn't."

"Left one?"

"Lucky guess."

"Guesses are for wimps."

"Then you're a wimp." Parker looked across to Lily, who was not smiling, but thinking.

"What?" asked Elizabeth. "Something wrong?"

"Moriarty," Lily said.

"What's Moriarty?" Parker inquired.

"Absolutely no idea."

Back at the car, Leon turned to Grant who was watching the girls as they walked qaway. "Sir, shall we go?"

"Interesting, when you put them all together." Not-Leon looked briefly at the departing Trio, then turned his attention back to his BlackBerry. "It could be the making of them all – or the breaking – or make them worse than ever. Either way, we'd better upgrade their surveillance status. Grade Three Active."

Leon looked up from his phone. "Sorry, sir. Whose status?"

Grant took a breath. "The Golden Trio."


	5. Chapter 5

5: The Blind Banker – Part I

**I'm just gonna update everyday now. Season 3 is getting closer (really close!) and I'n currently on part 2 of Reichenbach Fall, so I'm almost done with what we have.**

**The Blind Banker is probably gonna be one of the funnier cases. The Golden Trio is a lot less serious than Sherlock and John.**

**P.S. In this chapter you get another ****_Sherlock_**** character! :D**

Elizabeth hauled her two suitcases into the living room. She set them down with a mix between a groan and a sigh. She looked up and saw Parker sleeping in an armchair and Lily with a pen, nearing Nightingale's face. "OI!" Elizabeth interrupted. Parker jerked awake, causing the pen to come crashing into on her face, making a streak across her cheek. Lily jumped in surprise, moving the pen.

Parker blinked several times, trying to wake herself up all the way. She glared up at Lily in annoyance. "You still act like the teenager I knew," she said. Lily shrugged, casually tossing the pen aside.

Elizabeth sighed. "Wow…okay…well my plane leaves in an hour, I should go."

"Do you really need to leave?" Lily moaned.

"Need? No. Want? Yes, gosh, yes."

Parker stood from her seat. "Here, I'll help." She grabbed the red suitcase, the smaller of the two.

"No!" yelled Lily. "If you help her she leaves faster!" She rushed over and took the handle out of Parker's hands.

Elizabeth took the case back from her. "I'm going to Hawaii whether you like it or not." She looked around. "Just don't burn down the flat before I get back."

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Parker was standing at one of two self-service checkouts, scanning items from her basket. A short queue had formed behind her. Parker scanned another item. "Unexpected item in bagging area. Please try again."

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In the living room of the flat, Lily Falda was under attack from a heavily robed figure, his face and head almost completely shrouded in a variety of scarves. As the attacker slashed at her with a curved sword, Lily backed up carefully and ducked this way and that to avoid the blows. The man backed Lily up as far as the sofa and took another swing at her. Ducking under the sword, Lily dropped onto the sofa in a sitting position. The attacker lifted his sword above his head with both hands and Lily raised her hand, palm out, shooting a beam of ice at the man's chest and shoving him backwards. As the man stumbled back across the room, Lily got to her feet and took an all-important moment to straighten her jacket before charging across the room towards the man.

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In the supermarket, Parker held a lettuce in a plastic bag and moved it slowly across the scanner in an attempt to get it to read the barcode. "Item not scanned," said the automated voice. "Please try again." Parker straightened up, glaring at the device in exasperation. "D'you think you could keep your voice down?"

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In the flat, the attacker had his sword held horizontally in both hands and was pushing Lily backwards into the kitchen. With a tight grip on the man's wrists, Lily fell back onto the kitchen table and the man followed her down, trying to press the edge of the blade into Lily's throat. Grimacing with the effort, Lily pushed the man's right wrist upwards to keep the blade from cutting her. The point of the sword began to dig into the table to Lily's right. Lily raised her left leg and kneed the man in the side several times and, as this began to weaken the man's grip, Lily managed to put out a hand and blast the man with an ice beam. The sword tip gouged a long slash across the top of the table.

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In the supermarket, Parker had at last got everything scanned and had inserted her debit card into the chip-and-PIN machine. She typed in her PIN and waited. "Card not authorised," the machine voice said. "Please use an alternative method of payment."

"Yes," said Parker angrily, "all right! I've got it!"

"Card not authorised," machine repeated. "Please use an alternative method of payment."

The man in the queue behind her had already picked up his own basket in expectation of getting to the scanner soon. Parker reached towards her back pocket but then realised that she had no other way of paying. "I've got nothing…" she said to herself. She pointed at the machine. "Right, keep it. Keep that." As the man behind him looked on in surprise, Parker angrily stormed away, abandoning her shopping and quite possibly her card as well.

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In the flat, Lily was up on her feet again and the fight had moved back into the living room. The attacker took another swing at Lily who ducked underneath the sword and then quickly straightened up, pointing directly over the man's shoulder. "Look!" The man had already half turned in that direction with the swing of his sword and was also momentary distracted by their reflections in the mirror over the fireplace behind him. Lily took the advantage she was given and swung a powerful uppercut to the man's chin, and the man dropped unconscious into Elizabeth's usual armchair. Lily straightened up and immediately checked her reflection in the mirror, straightening her mask and then dusting herself down. She looked down at the man with disdain, as if indignant that he messed up her Crystal suit.

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Some time later, Lily sat in her armchair calmly reading a book. There was no sign of the attacker. Parker walked up the stairs and into the living room, stopping just inside the room and looking around as if she suspects that something had happened in her absence, but she couldn't tell what.

"You took your time," Lily said without looking up.

Parker sighed. "Yeah, I didn't get the shopping."

Lily looked over the top of her book indignantly. "What? Why not?"

"Because I had a row, in the shop, with a chip-and-PIN machine," said Parker tetchily.

Lily lowered her book a little. "You…you had a row with a machine?"

Parker shook her head in defeat. "Sort of. It sat there and I shouted abuse. Have you got cash?"

Lily held back her amused smile and nodded towards the kitchen. "Take my card."

Parker walked towards the kitchen where Lily's wallet was lying on the table, but before she got there she turned back to her teammate indignantly. "You could always go yourself, you know. You've been sitting there all morning. You've not even moved since I left." Lily tried to look nonchalant as she turned the page of his book while Parker picked up the wallet from the table and rummaged through it for a suitable payment card. "And what happened about that case you were offered – the Jaria Diamond?"

"Not interested," Lily said. Using a piece of paper as a bookmark she shut the book with a loud snap, and only then realised that the gloves of her Crystal suit were still lying underneath her chair in plain view. She quickly slammed a foot down onto the fingers of them and slid her foot and the white gloves further back to get the costume out of sight. "I sent them a message," Lily said firmly.

Parker had found a card she could use, but paused to bend over to look more closely at the new long narrow gouge in the top of the table. She sighed and ran her finger along the cut, rubbing at it in case it was just a mark that could easily be removed. "Ugh, Crystal," she said in an exasperated whisper. Looking across to her fellow hero, she tutted pointedly. Lily shook her head innocently. Parker turned and left the room, trotting down the stairs as Lily smirked.

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Later, Parker staggered up the stairs carrying several bags of shopping. "Don't worry about me," she said sarcastically. "I can manage." Lily, who was sitting at the dining table with her hands folded in front of her mouth as she looked at a laptop screen, barely glanced across to Parker, who sighed heavily as she carried the bags into the kitchen and dumped them onto the table. Lily was engrossed in reading an e-mail from someone called Sebastian Wilkes. Lily and Sebastian hadn't seen each other for a long time. Sebastian had heard that Lily had opened a detective agency and Sebastian informed her that There had been an 'incident' at the bank which he hoped that Lily might be able to sort out. He asked her to drop by and said that he'd be relying on Lily's discretion. Parker turned around from the kitchen table and frowned as she realised which piece of equipment Lily was staring at.

"Is that my computer?" Parker asked.

Lily started to type. "Of course."

"What?!"

"Mine was in my bedroom."

"What, and you couldn't be bothered to get up?" Lily didn't reply. Parker was indignant. "It's password protected!"

Lily continued typing. "In a manner of speaking. Took me less than a minute to guess yours. 'Golden Trio'." She glanced up at Parker. "Not exactly Fort Knox."

Parker was quite annoyed. "Right, thank you." She reached over and slammed the top down as Lily pulled her fingers out of the way just in time. "Maybe I should just change it to: Lily-you-idiodiotic-jerk-get-off-my-computer." Parker then took the laptop across the room and put it down on the floor beside her armchair as she sat down. Lily clasped her hands in a prayer position in front of her mouth as she propped her elbows on the table and looked thoughtful. Parker picked up a small pile of letters from the table beside her chair and frowned "Oh…"

She flicked through the letters, two were regular bills and one was a red bill in which needed urgent paying. She shook her head in resignation.

"I really need to get a job."

"Oh, whatever," said Lily. "Elizabeth has a job."

"Writing children's books, Lily, that isn't enough." Parker was lost in thought. She put the letters back onto the table and looked across at her friend for a moment, but then glanced at the bills again and awkwardly sat forward. "Listen, um…if you'd be able to lend me some…" She stopped as she realised that Lily was in a world of her own.

"Lily, are you even listening?"

Lily didn't even look round. "I need to go to the bank." She got up and headed towards the stairs, taking her coat from the hook on the door as she walked past. Parker frowned, then jumped up and hurried to join her.

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Lily led Parker through revolving glass doors which led into Shad Sanderson Bank. Parker stared at the impressive foyer as she followed her friend. "Yes, when you said we were going to the bank…" She got onto an escalator behind Lily as the new detective looked around to observe everything surrounding her, especially the security systems which required cards swiped across electronic readers in order to open glass barrier gates. The two girls reached the top of the escalator and Lily walked over to the reception desk and addressed one of the receptionists.

"Lily Falda."

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The heroes had been shown into Sebastian Wilkes' office and he walked in and grinned at Lily. "Lily Falda."

"Sebastian," Lily greeted.

they shook hands, Sebastian clasping Lily's hand in both of his own. "Howdy. How long's it been? Eight years since I last clapped eyes on you?"

Lily looked back at him with only marginally disguised dislike. Sebastian turned to look at Parker.

"This is my friend, Marie Kiehof."

Sebastian nodded. "Right." He threw a brief look at Lily as if saying, 'Didn't think you had two a friends!' Grinning unpleasantly, he scratched his neck momentarily. As Sebastian turned away, Parker pursed her lips as if she had taken an instant dislike to the man; either that or she was regretting coming with Lily to see what was up. "Well, grab a pew. D'you need anything? Coffee, water?" Lily shook her head.

"No, thank you," Parker said politely.

"No?" He turned to his secretary. "We're all sorted here, thanks." As the secretary left the room, Sebastian sat down at his desk and the other two sat side by side opposite him. "I'm glad you could make it over," he said. "We've had a break-in." He led them across the trading floor towards another door. "Sir William's office – the bank's former Chairman. The room's been left here like a sort of memorial. Someone broke in late last night."

"What did they steal?" Parker inquired.

"Nothing. Just left a little message."

Sebastian held his security card against the reader by the door to unlock it. Hanging on the plain white wall behind the large desk was a framed painted portrait of a man in a suit – the late Sir William Shad himself. On the wall to the left of the portrait someone had sprayed what looked like a graffiti 'tag' in yellow paint. The tag looks vaguely like a number 8 but with the top of the number left open, and above it was an almost horizontal straight line. And across the eyes of the portrait another almost horizontal straight line has been sprayed. Perhaps because of the texture of the paper or perhaps because the 'artist' oversprayed the line, the yellow paint had run trails down the painting. Sebastian led the way towards the desk and then stepped aside to allow Lily a clear view of the wall. Parker moved to stand on the other side of Sebastian, who looked at Lily expectantly as the superhero stared in fixed concentration at the graffiti.

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They were back in Sebastian's office and he was showing the girls the security footage of the office from the previous night. "Sixty seconds apart," Sebastian said. He flicked back and forth between the still taken at 23:34:01 which showed the paint on the wall and on the portrait, and a minute earlier – 23:33:01 – when the wall and portrait were still clean. "So, someone came up here in the middle of the night, splashed paint around, then left within a minute."

"How many ways are there into that office?" Parker asked.

"Well, that's where this gets really interesting."

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Back in the reception area, Sebastian showed them a screen on a computer which had a layout of the trading floor and its surrounding offices. Each indicated door has a light against it showing its security status. "Every door that opens in this bank, it gets logged right here. Every walk-in cupboard, every toilet."

"And that door didn't open last night?"

Sebastian nodded. "There's a hole in our security. Find it and we'll pay you – five figures." He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and took out a cheque. "This is an advance. Tell me how he got in, there's a bigger one on its way."  
Lily turned away. "I don't need an incentive, Sebastian."

She walked away. Parker watched her go, then turned to Sebastian, eyeing the cheque longingly. "She's, uh, she's kidding you, obviously." She held her hand out. "Sh-shall I look after that for her?" Sebastian eyed her before handing her the cheque. "Thanks." She looked at the figure on the cheque and shook her head in disbelief that that was only the advance.

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Lily had returned to Sir William's office and was taking photographs of the graffiti on her mobile phone. Once she had taken several pictures she turned around. She looked to her right where the floor-to-ceiling windows showed an impressive view of the nearby Swiss Re Tower, better known as 'The Gherkin'. Frowning and looking away in thought for a moment, she then walked over to the windows and pulled up the blinds which were covering what was revealed to be a door onto a small balcony. Opening the door she went out onto the balcony and looked at the spectacular view over London before looking down at the very long drop to the ground hundreds of feet below. Lily looked along the balcony and bit her lip thoughtfully before heading back inside.

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Shortly afterwards, Lily could have easily been mistaken for dancing. On the trading floor she ducked down behind a desk and now rose slowly upright, staring in concentration at the glass doorway to Sir William's office. She then ducked sideways and hurried across the floor, to the bemusement of other traders. Lily continued to scamper around the floor, frequently scurrying sideways and ducking down behind desks before popping up again and peering at the doorway. She danced across the floor again and twirled around a column before backing towards an office on the other side of the floor. Stopping in that doorway, she wiggled about, her eyes still fixed on Sir William's office, then turned and went into the office and headed to the other side of the desk. Standing directly behind the chair of whoever worked in that room, she saw that she had a clear view of the top of the painting and the new yellow slash across the portrait's eyes. She danced sideways across the room before coming back to her previous position, confirming that this was the only place on the trading floor where the damaged portrait could be seen. Looking around the room for some identification, Lily eventually went to the door where two signs were attached to the outside, one showing that that was the office of the Hong Kong Desk Head, and the sign above it giving the name of that person – Edward Van Coon. She slid the top sign out of its holder and headed off.

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Lily and Parker headed down the escalator. "That graffiti was a message for someone at the bank working on the trading floors," said Lily. "We find the intended recipient and…" She deliberately trailed off, allowing Parker to finish the sentence.

"…They'll lead us to the person who sent it."

Lily snapped her fingers. "Bingo."

"Well, there's three hundred people up there. Who was it meant for?"

"You see, Parker, there were pillars."

"What?"

"Pillars and the screens. Very few places you can see that graffiti from. That narrows the field considerably. And of course the message was left at eleven thirty-four last night. Lily continued talking as she and Parker went through the revolving doors and out onto the street. "Traders come to work at all hours. Some trade with Hong Kong in the middle of the night. That message was intended for someone who came in at midnight." She held up the name card to show Parker. "Not many Van Coons in the phonebook."

Lily grinned and fist pumped the air. "YES! I am getting SO good at this detective stuff!" She spotted what she immediately needed and called out for it loudly and excitedly. "TAXI!"

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After a taxi ride, Parker and Lily stood outside a block of flats and Lily pressed the door buzzer marked 'Van Coon'. Releasing it, she looked into the security camera above the buzzers, waited a couple of seconds, then pressed the buzzer again. There was still no response. "So what do we do now?" Parker asked. "Sit here and wait for him to come back?"

Lily looked at the number of buzzers on the wall and stepped back to look up the front of the building, presumably calculating the layout of the flats inside. She came back to the wall and looked at Parker triumphantly. "Just moved in."

"What?"

"The floor above. New label." She pointed to another buzzer which had a handwritten label saying, 'Wintle'. Lily pressed that buzzer.

A woman's voice came over the intercom. "Hello?"

Lily turned to the camera and smiled, putting on an 'I'm just a normal harmless human being' voice. "Hi! Um, I live in the flat just below you. I-I don't think we've met." She grinned prettily into the camera.

"No, well, uh, I've just moved in."

Lily turned to throw a brief 'told you so' glance at Parker, who rolled her eyes, then turned back to the camera. "Actually, I've just locked my keys in my flat." She grimaced and bit her lip plaintively.

"D'you want me to buzz you in?"

"Yeah. And can I use your balcony?"

"What?"

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Not long afterwards, Lily had gotten hers way into the lucky Ms Wintle's flat and was standing on her balcony. She looked over it to the ground several floors below. Luckily for her, the top floor which she was on had balconies which only ran halfway across the front of the flat whereas the floor below had full-width balconies. She climbed over the side of Ms Wintle's balcony and dropped down onto the one outside Van Coon's flat. Taking another look over the edge, she turned and reached for the handle of the door and find that it was unlocked. She went inside and walked across the very elegantly decorated living room. It was clearly the apartment of a wealthy man, with white leather furniture, shiny black tables and minimal clutter. She looked at everything as she went through the room, and glanced at a pile of books on a table. She walked through the kitchen, looking at the work surface before opening the fridge to reveal that it's full of nothing other than bottles of champagne. The front door to the flat buzzed.

Parker was on the other side of the door. "Lily," she said simply. Lily moved into the hall. "Lily, are you okay?" Lily opened the door to the small bathroom and glanced inside at the few items on the shelf opposite. She shut the door and walked to a larger door which was closed. She tried it and found that it was locked. "Yeah, any time you feel like letting me in," Parker said from outside.

Lily turned side-on and shoulder-charged the door and it burst open. She strolled inside and found a man in a suit and overcoat lying on his back on the bed, dead. There was a pistol on the floor, and the man had a small bullet hole in his right temple.

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The police had been called and a photographer was taking pictures of Van Coon's body lying on the bed. A forensics officer was dusting for fingerprints on the nearby mirror. Lily had taken her jacket off and was in the bedroom, putting on a pair of latex gloves. Parker stood beside her. "D'you think he'd lost a lot of money? I mean, suicide is pretty common among City boys."

"Well don't know that it was suicide."

"Oh, come on, Lily. The door was locked from the inside; you had to climb down the balcony. Even you can't deny the facts."  
Lily squatted down by a suitcase on the floor near the bed and opened the lid, looking at the contents.

"I'd say he'd been away three days, judging by the laundry." She noticed Parker looking at her. Lily sighed. "Yes, another one of my jobs taught me that too." She saw that there was a deep indentation in the clothing inside the case, then straightened up and looks at Parker. "Look at the case. There was something tightly packed inside it."

"Thanks – I'll take your word for it." Lily raised an eyebrow up at her. "Yeah, I'm not desperate to root around some bloke's dirty underwear."

Lily walked to the foot of the bed. "Those symbols at the bank – the graffiti. Why were they put there?"

"Some kind of code."

"Probably." Lily looked closely at Van Coon's legs and shoes then moved up and carefully opened the man's jacket to look at his inside pockets. "Why were they painted? If you want to communicate, why not use e-mail or phone?"

"Well, maybe he wasn't answering."

Lily looked up at Parker briefly before moving on to examine Van Coon's hands. "Well hat kind of a message would everyone try to avoid?" Parker frowned in confusion. "What about this morning – those letters you were looking at?"

"Bills…"

Lily gently pried Van Coon's mouth open and pulled out a small black origami flower from inside. She was slightly disturbed, as was Parker. "Oh, yes. He was being threatened."

A man's voice came from outside the bedroom. "Bag this up, will you…"

Parker looked closely at the paper flower as Lily lifts an evidence bag to put the flower into it, a bit disgusted. "Not by the gas board," Parker commented.

"…and see if you can get prints off this glass." The man – a plain clothed police officer – walked into the bedroom. Lily turned and walked towards him.

"Ah, Sergeant," said Lily. "We haven't met." She offered her hand to shake. The young man put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I know who you are; and I'd prefer it if you didn't tamper with any of the evidence."

Lowering her hand, Lily gave the evidence bag to the officer and turned her best stroppy look on him. "I've phoned Lestrade," Lily said. "Is he on his way?"

"He's busy. I'm in charge. And it's not Sergeant; it's Detective Inspector. Dimmock." Lily looked at him in surprise that a man so young held such a high rank, then turned and shared her surprised look with Parker, who agreed. Dimmock walked out of the room. The girls followed him into the living room and he handed the bag to one of the forensics team. "We're obviously looking at a suicide."

"That does seem the only explanation of all the facts," said Parker.

Lily took her gloves off and turned back to her friend. "No. It's one possible explanation of some of the facts." She turned to Dimmock. "You've got a solution that you like, but you're choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn't comply with it."

Dimmock raised an eyebrow. "Like?"

"The wound was on the right side of his head!"

"And?"

"Van Coon was left handed!" She went into an elaborate mime as she demonstrated her point, pretending to try and point a gun to her right temple with her left hand. There went her high school drama stuff, showing up again. "Requires quite a bit of contortion."

"Left handed?" Dimmock wondered, taken aback.

"Oh, I'm amazed you didn't notice," Lily said sarcastically. "All you have to do is look around this flat."

"I can't tell he's left handed," said Parker.

"Well that's because you aren't left handed. I am, so I would know how it works and looks." She pointed to the table beside the sofa. "Coffee table on the left hand side; coffee mug handle pointing to the left. Power sockets: habitually used the ones on the left. Pen and paper on the left hand side of the phone because he picked it up with his right and took down messages with his left. D'you want me to go on?"

"No, I think you've covered it," Parker said tiredly.

"Oh, I might as well; I'm almost at the bottom of the list."

Parker nodded as if to say, 'Yeah, I thought you might.'

Lily pointed towards the kitchen. "There's a knife on the breadboard with butter on the right side of the blade because he used it with his left." She turns to Dimmock with an impatient look on her face. "It's highly unlikely that a left handed man would shoot himself in the right side of his head. Conclusion: someone broke in here and murdered him. Only explanation of all the facts."

"But the gun: why…"

"He was waiting for the killer," Lily interrupted. "He'd been threatened." She walks away and started to put on her brown coat.

"What?" Dimmock asked in confusion.

"Today at the bank," Parker explained. "Some sort of a warning."

"He fired a shot when his attacker came in," Lily concluded.

"And the bullet?"

"Went through the open window."

"Oh, come on!" said Dimmock. "What are the chances of that?!"

"Wait until you get the ballistics report. The bullet in his brain wasn't fired from his gun. I guarantee it."

"But if his door was locked from the inside, how did the killer get in?"

"Good!" Lily said condescendingly. "You're finally asking the right questions." She turned and flounced out. Parker looked around at Dimmock and then pointed apologetically towards the departing drama queen before following her.

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In a restaurant, Sebastian was having lunch with some work colleagues. Sebastian laughed "…and he's left trying to sort of cut his hair with a fork, which of course can never be done!"

Lily and Parker walked over to the table. "It was a threat," Lily said. "That's what the graffiti meant."

"I'm kind of in a meeting…" Sebastian said. "Can you make an appointment with my secretary?"

"Oh, I don't think this can wait. Sorry, Sebastian. One of your traders – someone who worked in your office – was killed.

"What?"

"Van Coon," Parker said. "The police are at his flat."

Sebastian was shocked. "Killed?"

"Sorry to interfere with everyone's digestion," Lily said sarcastically. "Still wanna make an appointment? Would, maybe, nine o'clock at Scotland Yard suit?" Sebastian put his glass of water down and nervously ran his finger inside his shirt collar.

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The three adults had relocated right outside the restaurant. "Harrow; Oxford," Sebastian said. "Very bright guy. Worked in Asia for a while, so…"

"…you gave him the Hong Kong accounts," Parker finished.

"Lost five mill in a single morning; made it all back a week later. Nerves of steel, Eddie had."

"Who'd wanna kill him?" Parker inquired.

"We all make enemies."

"You don't all end up with a bullet through your temple," Parker pointed out.

Sebastian's phone beeped a text alert. "Not usually. 'Scuse me." He got his phone out and looked at the message. "It's my Chairman. The police have been on to him. Apparently they're telling him it was a suicide."

"Well, they've got it wrong, Sebastian," Lily insisted. "He was murdered."

"Well, I'm afraid they don't see it like that."

"Seb," Lily said sternly.

"…and neither does my boss. I hired you to do a job. Don't get side-tracked." He walks away.

Parker waited until he had left back into the restaurant, then turned to Lily. "And I thought bankers were all heartless!"

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In a doctor's surgery, Doctor John Watson read Parker's printed Curriculum Vitae. He looked up at Parker sitting opposite him.

"Just locum work," he said.

"No, that's fine," Parker said.

"Just like me," John said with a smile. "You're, um…well, you're definitely qualified."

Parker smiled back. "Er, I could always do with the money."

"Don't we all. Well, we've got two away on holiday this week, and one's just left to have a baby. Might be a bit mundane…"

"Er, no; mundane is good sometimes. Mundane works."

John looked up at Parker. "You…uh…have special talents, you said." He indicated the spot on the paper. "Weren't very specific."

Parker shrugged. "Well we all have secrets, now don't we."

John smiled. "Well what else can you do?"

"Piano, violin, sing, and magic tricks," Parker answered.

"Oh, well I look forward to it," he said, smiling back at Parker. Parker laughed. With a quick use of her telepathy powers, Parker confirmed her suspicion. Yep. John liked her.

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Lily had printed out the photographs of the graffiti near and across Sir William's portrait and had stuck them around the mirror above the fireplace. She was sitting on one of the dining chairs with her back to the dining table. She had her fingers steepled under her chin and was staring at the photos. Parker walked in from the landing and drops her jacket onto her chair. "Job?" she asked.

Parker looked around the living room. "Yeah, I went to see about a job at that surgery."

"How was it?"

"It's great," Parker said absently. "He's great."

Lily was confused. "Who?"

Parker looked around to her. "The job."

"…he?"

"…it…"

Lily eyed her friend for a moment before lunging at the landline. "I'm telling Elizabeth!" She quickly tapped in the number.

"Telling Elizabeth? Telling Elizabeth what?"

"That you finally like someone after twenty-eight years!" She raised the phone and put it on speaker phone, grinning mischievously. Parker's ears went pink.

"Hello?"

"Elizabeth! Parker likes someone!"

All was silent throughout the flat. "…WHAT! Well it is about time! What's his name? What does he look like? Is he good? Lily, do you approve and would I?"

"Would you stop treating me like a younger sister?" asked Parker exasperatedly.

"I don't know anything," said Lily. "Parker just let it slip." She continued grinning. "So can you answer these questions, Parker?"

Parker's face was red in embarrassment. "I barely met him just today!" Parker insisted. "Just a stumble in my wording."

"HA! You just said you met him today!" Lily said proudly. "Confession!"

"Okay, okay, he's another doctor at the surgery, nothing more."

"Aww," said Elizabeth over the phone, "office romance!"

In less than one minute, Parker was wrestling Lily on the floor for the phone. Lily was trying to fire off more questions while Parker tried to hang up. Lily froze Parker's left hand to the floor. Parker glared at Crystal and used her telekinesis, trying to get the phone to come to her. The phone flew past and slid under the couch. Lily scrambled over and reached under to grab it. "Elizabeth!" she said into the phone. "You still there?"

"I'm here! Parker, tell me more!" Parker lunged at Lily, grasping for the phone.

"Girls, what is all the commotion?" Mrs. Coleman asked, walking into the flat. She spotted Lily and Parker wrestling on the floor.

"Lily, love life doesn't matter right now," Parker insisted. "We need to be focusing on Van Coon's murder."

"Murder?" Elizabeth wondered. "What's going–" Parker hung up and got to het feet, straightening her clothes. She walked over to the table and looked at the web page on the open computer Lily was reading. The lead article on the 'Online News' page was headlined, "Ghostly killer leaves a mystery for police". Next to it was a photograph of the bald man, and the article read: An intruder who can walk through walls murdered a man in his London apartment last night. Brian Lukis, 41, a freelance journalist from Earl's Court was found shot in his fourth floor flat but all his doors and windows were locked and there were no apparent signs of a break in. A police spokesman said they are still uncertain how the assailant broke in…

"The intruder who can walk through walls," Parker said quietly.

"Happened last night," Lily explained, dropping the subject of office romance. "Journalist shot dead in his flat; doors locked, windows bolted from the inside – exactly the same as Van Coon."

Parker straightened up and looked at her flatmate. "Gosh…You think…"

"He's killed another one."

**See? More humour :) Like how I threw John in there?**

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

6: The Blind Banker – Part II

**A/N Hey, guys, I've started a new Sherlock fanfiction. It's called: Team of Detectives. It hasn't gotten any reviews yet, so if you would check it out that would be much appreciated. Thanks!**

Dimmock sat at his desk at New Scotland Yard and folded his arms in exasperation as Lily and Parker stood on the other side of the desk. Lily typed away onto a laptop. "Brian Lukis," Lily said, "freelance journalist. Murdered in his flat…" she turned the laptop around to show Dimmock the web page which Parker was looking at earlier, "…doors locked from the inside."

Parker shrugged, arms folded. "You've gotta admit, it's similar." Dimmock scowled at the computer. "Both men killed by someone who can…" she hesitated momentarily, unable to believe what she was about to say, but persevered onwards, "…walk through solid walls."

"Inspector," said Lily, "do you seriously believe that Eddie Van Coon was just another City suicide?" Dimmock squirmed, not meeting her eyes. Lily looked up, exasperated, and sighed pointedly. "You have seen the ballistics report, I'm assuming?

"Mmmm," said Dimmock, nodding.

"And the shot that killed him: was it fired from his own gun?"

"No," Dimmock said reluctantly. He looked back at Lily silently. Lily leaned forward over the desk and spoke quietly but intensely into his face.

"I have just handed you a murder enquiry." Lily nodded towards the picture of Lukis on the computer. "Five minutes in his flat."

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The three of them arrived at the crime scene and Lily and Parker ducked under the police tape at the bottom of the stairs inside the door of the flat. They walked up the stairs and looked around at everything. Then they entered the living room. There was an open empty suitcase on the floor. Nearby on the carpet was a black origami flower, similar to the one that Lily had pulled from Van Coon's mouth. There were books everywhere on the desk and on bookshelves and scattered about on the floor. Several open newspapers were also lying on the floor. Lily walked over to the kitchen area and looked through the window at the nearby rooftops of lower buildings. Pushing the net curtain back for a better look, she smirked. "Four floors up. That's why they think they're safe. Put a chain across the door and bolt it shut; think they're impregnable." She walked into the middle of the room again. "They don't reckon for one second that there's another way in."

She turned back towards the stairs and saw a skylight above the landing. "I don't understand," Dimmock admitted.

Lily went out onto the landing. "We're dealing with a killer who can climb." She hoped up on something – a box – to get closer to the skylight which was high up on the angled roof.

"What are you doing?"

"He clings to the walls like an insect." She unhooked the latch and pushed the window upwards. "That's how he got in," Lily said quietly.

"What?!"

Perked stepped forward. "So you're saying he climbed up the side of the walls, ran along the roof, dropped in through this skylight?" she asked, pointing to it.

"You're not serious!" Dimmock said. "Like Spiderman?!"

"Not quite. Spiderman doesn't work that way. I always meet fellow heroes." Dimmock was confused but Lily continued. "He scaled six floors of a Docklands apartment building, jumped the balcony to kill Van Coon.

Dimmock laughed in disbelief. "Oh, ho-hold on!"

"And of course that's how he got into the bank," Parker said, catching on. "He ran along the window ledge and onto the terrace…"

Lily grinned at Parker. "Bingo." She stepped down onto the landing and looked around again. "We have to find out what connects these two men." Her eyes fell on the pile of books scattered up the side of the staircase. Jumping down a few stairs, she picked up one particular book which had fallen open at its front page which showed that it had been borrowed from West Kensington Library. Slamming the book shut, she took it with her as she headed off down the stairs.

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After a taxi journey during Lily and Parker were are once again on an escalator, this time inside West Kensington Library. Lily found her way to the aisle where Lukis' book came from. "The date stamped on the book is the same day that he died," she clarified. Checking the reference number stuck to the bottom of the book's spine, she went to the correct place along the shelves and started pulling out books and examining them. Parker, just for something to do, pulled out some books on a nearby shelf on the other side of the aisle and immediately got lucky.

"Lily…"

Lily looked over her shoulder, walking towards her friend and reached to the shelf and puled out some more books. Pulling out another huge handful of books with her other hand, she revealed that, spray painted on the back of the shelf, were the same two symbols that were sprayed across Sir William Shad's office.

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Back at the flat, photographs of the shelf had been added to the earlier photos stuck around the mirror in the living room. The girls were standing at the fireplace looking at the pictures. "So, the killer goes to the bank, leaves a threatening cipher for Van Coon," Lily explained. "Van Coon panics, returns to his apartment, locks himself in. Hours later, he dies."

"The killer finds Lukis at the library," continued Parker, "he writes the cipher on the shelf where he knows it'll be seen; Lukis goes home."

"Late that night, he dies too."

"But why did they die, Lily? Why?"

Lily ran her fingers over the line painted across Sir William's face. "I don't know. Only the cipher can tell us." She thoughtfully tapped her finger against the photo as her expression sharpened. She had an idea.

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In Trafalgar Square, the girls walked through the centre of the square, heading towards the National Gallery. "The world's run on codes and ciphers, Parker. From the million-pound security system at the bank, to the PIN machine you took exception to, cryptography inhabits our every waking moment."

"Yeah, okay, but…?"

"…but it's all computer-generated: electronic codes, electronic ciphering methods. This is different. It's an ancient device. Modern code-breaking methods won't unravel it."

"Well where are we headed?"

"I need to ask some advice."

"You need advice?"

"On painting, yes. I need to talk to an expert."

"So you were never involved with painting during your time of 'many jobs'?"

Lily glowered at Parker momentarily. "No," she said. Parker smirked. Lily led Parker towards the entrance to the National Gallery…

…and straight around it to the rear of the building where a young man had spray-stencilled onto a solid grey metal door the image of a policeman holding a rifle in his hands. The image had a pig's snout in place of a human nose. A large canvas bag sat at the man's feet and he was holding spray cans in both hands. With one of the cans he had sprayed his tag, "RAZ", below the image and he was then adding the finishing touches to his 'artwork'. He continued spraying, unperturbed, as Lily and Parker approached.

"Part of a new exhibition," Raz said with a smirk.

Lily was disinterested "Interesting."

"I call it…Urban Bloodlust Frenzy." He chuckled.

"Catchy…" Parker said, a bit annoyed at the fact that this man had spray-painted on the wall.

Raz continued spraying. "I've got two minutes before a Community Support Officer comes round that corner." He looked round to Lily. "Can we do this while I'm workin'?"

Lily took her phone from her coat pocket and held it out towards Raz, who turned around and tossed one of the spray cans at Parker. Parker instinctively caught it, and looked at Lily and Raz in bewilderment. Raz took Lily's phone and scrolled through the photographs of the yellow ciphers from Sir William's office and the library.

"Know the who did it?" Lily asked.

"Recognise the paint," said Raz "It's like Michigan; hardcore propellant. I'd say zinc."

"What about the symbols? D'you recognise them?"

Raz squinted at the pictures. "Not even sure it's a proper language."

"Two people have been murdered, Raz. Deciphering this is the key to finding out who killed them."

Raz looked up at Lily. "What, and this is all you've got to go on? It's hardly much, now, is it?"

"Are you gonna help us or not?" Lily asked.

Raz sighed. "I'll ask around."

"Somebody must know something about it."

"OI!"

The three of them looked around to the voice and saw two Community Support Officers hurrying towards them. Lily instantly grabbed her phone from Raz and ran off in the opposite direction while Raz dropped his spray can, kicked his bag towards Parker, and also scarpered. Parker, the blithering idiot, meekly turned towards the officers. "What the heck do you think you're doing? This gallery is a listed public building!"

Parker blinked when she realised the situation. "No, no, wait, wait. It's not me who painted that." She held up the spray can. "I was just holding this for…" She turned and seemed to realise for the first time that she had been abandoned. She sighed quietly. The officer kicked open the bag to reveal more spray cans inside, then looked at Parker pointedly.

"Bit of an enthusiast, are we?" Parker looked blankly at him and then stared at the graffiti on the door, wondering how she was going to explain her way out of this one.

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In the flat Lily stood at the fireplace. The mirror was now almost completely covered because she had added several sheets of paper with various ciphers and pictograms on them. She had her head lowered and was consulting a book. A slamming door announced Parker's return to the flat but since Parker immediately walked into the living room. She had intentionally slammed the kitchen door shut as she walked past it because it was the only way she could think of to signify that not only was she home but she was MAD.

Lily didn't even turn round or look up. "You've been a while," she said simply.

Parker walked a few more paces into the room, her shoulders rigid and her fists clenched. She stopped, blinking as she fought to hold onto her anger, then turned to Lily. "Yeah, well, you know how it is," she said tightly. "Custody sergeants don't really like to be hurried, do they?" She started pacing, an angry half-smile half-grimace on her face. "Just formalities: fingerprints, charge sheet; and I've gotta be in Magistrates Court on Tuesday."

Lily whipped around. "What?!"

"Me, Lily, in court on Tuesday. They're givin' me an ASBO! Me! Nightingale!"

"How? Why?"

Parker glared daggers. "You can tell your little pal he's welcome to go and own up any time."

"Anyway, I have an idea." Lily turned and put the book down. She walked over to Parker who has just started to take her jacket off, and pulled the jacket back onto her shoulders. "No, I need you to go to the police station…"

"Oi, oi, oi!" Parker said indignantly as Lily turned her around and steered her towards the door.

"…ask about the journalist," Lily grabbed her own coat from the back of the door. "His personal effects will have been impounded. Get hold of his diary, or something that will tell us his movements." They went downstairs and out onto the street. "Gonna go and see Van Coon's P.A. If we retrace their steps, somewhere they'll coincide."

She walked off down the street. Parker saw a taxi coming around the corner and hailed it and it pulled over to the kerb. She bent to the taxi driver's window. "Scotland Yard."

"Right," the driver said.

Parker got into the back of the taxi and glanced round to the other side of the road as she sat down. There was no one there. Parker shrugged to herself. She had felt like she was being watched.

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Back at Shad Sanderson bank, Lily was in Van Coon's office standing beside his personal assistant, Amanda, who was looking at an online calendar. "Flew back from Dalian Friday," Amanda said. "Looks like he had back-to-back meetings with the sales team."

"Can you print me up a copy?"

"Sure."

"What about the day he passed away?" Lily asked, trying her best not to sound inconsiderate. "Can you tell me where he was?"

Amanda looked at the screen. "Sorry," she apologised. "Bit of a gap." The calendar showed no entries for Monday the 22nd. Lily looked away, frustrated. Amanda also realised something. "I have all his receipts."

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Dimmock stood at a desk and rummaged through a box of Brian Lukis' possessions at Scotland Yard. Parker stood at the other side. "Your friend…" he started.

"Listen," interrupted Parker, "whatever you say is probably true but she is one of my best friends, so try to be nice about it."

"…she's the arrogant sort."

Parker was somewhat surprised. "Well, that was pretty mild! People have said a lot worse than that." Dimmock handed her a diary.

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? The journalist's diary?"

Parker took the diary and flicked through it, opening it at a page which had been bookmarked with a boarding pass to Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport to London Heathrow Airport on Zhuang Airlines.

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Amanda had spread out Van Coon's receipts on her desk. "What kind of a boss was he, Amanda?" Lily wondered. "Appreciative?"

Amanda shook her head. "Um, no. That's not a word I'd use. The only things Eddie appreciated had a big price tag."

Lily knelt down on the floor to give herself easier access to the receipts. As Amanda fiddled nervously with a pin in her hair, Lily shuffled through the paperwork and picked up a receipt from a licensed taxi. Dated 22 March 2010 and timed at 10:35, the receipt is for £18.50. She handed it up to Amanda. "Look at this one. Got a taxi from home on the day he died. Eighteen pounds fifty."

"…That would get him to the office."

"Not rush hour. Mid-morning. Eighteen would get him as far as…"

"The West End," Amanda supplied. "I remember him saying." Lily had found a London Underground ticket with the same date on it and issued at Piccadilly. Lily handed it up to Amanda.

"Underground. Printed at one in Piccadilly."

"So he got a Tube back to the office. Why would he get a taxi into town and then the Tube back?"

Lily was still going through the receipts. "Because he was delivering something heavy. Didn't want to lug a package up the escalator."

"Delivering?"

"To somewhere near Piccadilly Station. Dropped the package, delivered it and then…" She found another receipt and stood up as she looked at it. It was from the Piazza Espresso Bar Italiano. "…stopped on his way. He got peckish."

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Some time later, Lily had found the espresso bar and was talking to herself out loud as she walked past it. "So you bought your lunch from here en route to the station, but where were you headed from? Where did the taxi drop you…?"

She had been spinning around as she was walking and then bumped into someone approaching from behind who was also distracted and not looking where she was going. It was Parker, who was engrossed in looking down at Lukis' diary. Lily grunted as they collided. Parker looked surprised to see her there. "Oh," said Parker quietly upon collision.

"Eddie Van Coon brought a package here the day he died – whatever was hidden inside that case," Lily said quickly. "I've managed to piece together a picture using scraps of information…"

"Lily…"

"…credit card bills, receipts. He flew back from China, then he came here."

"Lily…"

"Somewhere in this street; somewhere near. I don't know where, but–"

Parker pointed to the other side of the road. "That shop over there," she said.

Lily looked at the shop indicated, then looked back to Parker, frowning. "How can you tell?"

"Lukis' diary." She lifted the book to show Lily the entry. "He was here too. He wrote down the address." She turned and headed towards the shop.

"Oh." She followed after her friend.

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The girls walked into a touristy shop in Chinatown which consisted largely of decorative cats which were sitting up on their hind legs with one front paw raised. Some of the paws are waving back and forth. Parker greeted the shopkeeper politely "Hello." They looked around at all the items on display. The shopkeeper lifted one of the cats from her desk. "You want lucky cat?" she asked Parker.

"No, thanks. No."

Lily looked around at her and smirked. "Ten pound," the shopkeeper insisted. "Ten pound!"

"No," Parker said again. "She smiled awkwardly.

She walked over to one of the tables which had small ceramic painted handle-less cups on it. Lily was examining a rack displaying clay statues. Parker picked up one of the cups and turned it over to look at the price tag. Her hand began to tremble as she saw the Chinese symbol stuck on the underside. It was the same sort-of upside down eight with a line above it which was painted beside Sir William's portrait and on the library shelf. "Lily…" Lily, who had picked up one of the statues, put it back on the shelf and went over to her friend. "The label there."

"Yeah?"

"Exactly the same as the cipher." Clearing her throat awkwardly, she put the cup back. Lily shook her head.

"I still don't really get it," she said, "do you?"

Parker blinked slowly and tried to think. Then it all began to make sense. They left the shop and started walked down the street. "It's an ancient number system!" Parker said. "Hangzhou. These days, only street traders use it. Those were numbers written on the wall at the bank and at the library." She walked over to a greengrocer's which had some of its wares on display outside the shop. The various boxes had handwritten signs on them giving the names of the vegetables in both Chinese and English, and underneath was the cost of that particular item in both Hangzhou and English. She picked up various signs, checking the symbols "Numbers written in an ancient Chinese dialect."

Lily had spotted a sign with the upside down eight and slash above it and its English equivalent beneath. "It's a fifteen! What we thought was the artist's tag – it's a number fifteen."

"And the blindfold – the horizontal line? That was a number as well." She showed Lily a price tag which had the almost-horizontal line at the top, and "£1" written underneath. Parker grinned triumphantly. "The Chinese number one, Lily.

"We've found it!" Lily grinned at her friend, but the grin slowly faded. "Wait, how do you know about Hangzhou?" she asked.

"The ten languages I learned?"

"Yeah?"

"I attempted an eleventh. Chinese. I lost interest, never really thought it would come in handy. Look at us now!"

Lily grinned happily then turned and walked away. As Parker smiled triumphantly to herself and she turned to follow her, she felt again like she was being followed. Parker frowned, then followed after her friend.

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Not much later, they were staking out the tourist shop. Sitting at a table in the window of the restaurant opposite the shop, Lily wrote down the two Hangzhou numbers and their English equivalents onto a paper napkin. Parker sat opposite her, also writing notes. "Two men travel back from China," said Parker. "Both head straight for the Lucky Cat emporium. What did they see?"

"It's not what they saw; it's what they both brought back in those suitcases."

"And you don't mean duty free." A waiter brought over a plate of food and put it down in front of Parker. "Thank you."

"Think about what Sebastian told us; about Van Coon – about how he stayed afloat in the market."

"Lost five million…"

"…made it back in a week."

"Mmm."

"That's how he made such easy money."

"Ah, he was a smuggler! Mmm." Parker took a mouthful of food.

"A guy like him – it would have been perfect," Lily said. "Business man…"

"Mmm-hmm."

"…making frequent trips to Asia. And Lukis was the same a journalist writing about China."

"Mmm."

"Both of them smuggled stuff out, and the Lucky Cat was their drop-off."

"But why did they die?" Parker wondered, finishing her mouthful. "I mean, it doesn't make sense. If they both turn up at the shop and deliver the goods, why would someone threaten them and kill them after the event, after they'd finished the job?"

Lily sat back thoughtfully for a few seconds, then smiled as she realised the answer. "What if one of them was light-fingered? Stole something; something from the hoard.

Parker smiled. "And the killer doesn't know which of them took it, so he threatens them both. Right."

Lily looked out of the window towards the shop, then looked up to the windows above it. Looking down to the ground floor level again, her gaze sharpened. "Remind me…" she focused on a Yellow Pages phone directory sealed in a plastic wrapper which had been left outside the door to the flat beside the Lucky Cat, "…when was the last time that it rained?" Without waiting for a reply, she stood up and left the restaurant. Parker, who had managed only two mouthfuls of her meal, sat back in exasperation but then dutifully got up and followed.

Across the road, Lily bent down to the Yellow Pages. The plastic wrapper still had drops of water on it, and the top of it had broken open a little. Lily ran her fingers over the top of the wet, exposed pages of the directory. "It's been here since Monday," she said. She straightened up and pressed Ysia Oswald's doorbell. She only waited a couple of seconds, then looked to her right and headed off in that direction. There was an alleyway beside the flat and the girls walked down the alley. "No one's been in that flat for at least three days."

"Could've gone on holiday," Parker suggested.

"D'you leave your windows open when you go on holiday?" She reached the rear of the building and looked up to see a cantilevered metal fire escape above her head. Taking a short run at it, she jumped up and grabbed the end, pulling it down towards her until it touches the ground, then ran up the steps towards the open window of the flat. As she reached the top, the ladder swung back to the horizontal position behind her.

"Lily!" Parker hissed over to her.

She groaned and looked around, not sure what to do. Making sure no one could see her, she looked up at the ladder and concentrated. It swung down and Parker silently thanked her telekinesis.

Lily climbed in through the window into the kitchen, then cried out in muffled alarm as she almost knocked a vase of flowers off the table beside the window. Catching it before it hit the floor, she looked down and saw a wet patch on the rug in the precise place where the vase would have hit if it had reached the floor. Straightening up, she looked back as Parker also came in through the window. "Someone else has been here," she said. She put the vase back onto the table, and looked around. "Somebody else broke into the flat and knocked over the vase just like I did." She looked around the kitchen, then bent down to the washing machine and opened it. Taking out an item of Ysia's clothes, she sniffed it and grimaced. Parker glanced around, not sure exactly what to look for. Lily put the item back into the washing machine and pushed the door closed, then reached for a tea towel hanging up nearby.

"So what, exactly, are we searching for?" Parker asked.

Lily felt the tea towel, found that it was dry, and moved onwards. "Any sign for an intruder."

Parker huffed. "Yeah. We're intruders."

Lily had taken a pint of milk from the fridge and took off the lid and sniffed the contents. She put the bottle back into the fridge. Lily took a pocket magnifier from her pocket and looked down to where a foot had rucked up the rug, leaving an impression of the intruder's shoe. "Size eight feet." She pushed through the beaded curtain between the kitchen and the bedroom, still examining the rug. "Small, but…athletic." She straightened up, looking thoughtful. Lily picked up a framed photograph of two young children – two girls, twins presumably. A fresh handprint was on the glass where someone had pressed their fingers against the image of the first girl. Lily held her magnifier over the fingerprints as she gently ran her gloved fingers along them to gauge the size. "Small, strong hands." She closed the magnifier and put the photograph down again.

"An acrobat," Parker concluded. Lily nodded but she frowned, looking around.

"But why didn't they close the window when they left–?" Lily wondered. She stopped as she realised what had happened. "Oh…" She looked towards Parker, who had wide eyes. "They're still here…" They looked around the room and saw an ornately decorated free-standing folding screen shielding the bed. Putting her magnifier into her pocket, Lily walked carefully towards it. She and Parker exchanged several looks. Eventually, Parker read Lily's mind and knew she had to cover for her. Lily nodded and reached forward then grabbed the edge of the screen and pulled it back. Two stuffed toys stared back at her from the bedside table.

Before she had a chance to say anything to Parker, someone quickly wrapped a long white silk scarf around her neck from behind and bundled her to the floor on her back, strangling her. Lily grabbed at the scarf and Parker rushed forward, holding a cricket bat to strike the attacker. The figure briefly let go of the scarf but kept their foot on the ends. She managed to twist the bat out of Parker's hands and used it on her instead. Parker fell to the ground, in a daze. Lily continued trying to relieve the pressure on her neck but the assailant – dressed all in black – jumped back in to continue throttling her. Lily faintly called out, as she struggled against her attacker. "Parker!" Parker blinked several times, trying to keep conscious to help her friend. "Marie!" Lily was starting to lose consciousness and she couldn't fight anymore. As her struggles became weaker and her hands fell clear of the scarf, the attacker released their grip. As Lily lay still on the floor, her eyes half closed, the assailant shoved something into Lily's coat pocket, then got up and ran off. Lily choked out and coughed, tugging the scarf from around her neck and rolling onto her front before getting up onto her hands and knees. As the attacker disappeared through the beaded curtain into the kitchen, Lily groaned and pulled her own scarf loose, gasping as she got her breath back. Breathing a little better, Lily sat up on her heels, rummaged in her coat pocket and pulled out a black origami paper flower. She looked at it for a moment, then stumbled to her feet, wobbling for a moment before pulling herself together and heading over to Parker.

Parker lay weakly on the floor by the dresser, fighting to stay conscious. Lily knelt down in front of her friend and tried to keep breathing steadily. "Parker," she said sternly, voice rough from lack of air. "Parker, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Parker looked at Lily in confusion. "Does it really matter?"

"I dunno, you tell me! You're the doctor, not me, how should I know what to do?" She waved her fingers in front of Parker's eyes. "Now, how many fingers?"

"F-four. No. Two…Four? Two. Just…just two."

"Okay, what is today's date?"

"Lily–"

"Just answer."

"March twenty-sixth."

"What happened to you?"

"Cricket bat." She grimaced. "Another reason on my list to hate sports."

"What is your name?"

"Lily, this is ridiculous!"

"Name," Lily insisted.

Parker sighed. "Marie Kiehof," she answered.

"Middle name?"

"Seriously?"

Lily paused. "For future reference…"

Parker rolled her eyes. "Kendra," she said irritably.

Lily was surprised. "Your middle name is Kendra?"

"You didn't know?"

"Uh…no!"

Lily helped Parker to her feet. They were both a but wobbly in their steps but they tried to stay upright. "I vote we just take the stairs other than some complicated fire ladder," Lily said, coughing slightly. Parker nodded slowly in agreement. The headed down the stairs. "The, uh, milk's gone off and the washing's starting to smell. Somebody left here in a hurry three days ago." Parker merely nodded. "Ysia Oswald. We have to find her." Lily opened the door and she looked down and bent to pick something off the floor.

"How?" Parker asked.

Lily picked up a folded envelope. On the back of it was written:

_Ysia  
Please ring me  
tell me you're  
OK  
Andy_

Lily unfolded the envelope and looked at the front of it. Printed in the bottom right hand corner was:

**NATIONAL  
ANTIQUITIES  
MUSEUM**

"Maybe we could start with this," she said, waving it a bit. She strode down the street, Parker slowly following.

"Maybe we should visit a doctor or something," Parker suggested with a groan, reaching up to where she was hit with a cricket bat. She hissed in pain upon the touch.

"You're a doctor," croaked Lily. "Besides, we're fine."

"Or at least me," Parker said. "I probably have…" she trailed off, trying to ignore the pain in her head.

"A concussion?" finished Lily. "Yeah, probably. We can fix it back at the flat though, right?"

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Lily was pacing around a display area as she interviewed Andy, voice back to normal. Parker had a large bandage on the side of her head. "When was the last time that you saw her?" Lily asked.

"Three days ago, um, here at the museum." Lily focused briefly on a glass case showing some of the clay teapots. Most of them were dull but one was shiny. "This morning they told me she'd resigned just like that." Lily looked at another case containing some jade figurines, and then at a piece of artwork. "Just left her work unfinished."

"What was the last thing that she did on her final afternoon?" Lily asked.

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Andy brought the girls to the basement archive, and turned the lights on as he led them in. "She does this demonstration for the tourists – a-a tea ceremony. So she would have packed up her things and just put them in here." He led them to the open stack and started turning a handle at the end to widen the gap. Parker went to stand behind him and looked into the stack but Lily had noticed something more interesting in the shadows further along the room. She walked closer to it. On a stand is a life-sized sculpture of a woman…and yellow paint has been spray painted across the front of it. An almost horizontal straight line went across the eyes, and over the body had been sprayed the open upside down eight with the almost horizontal line above it. Andy and Parker turned and see what she had found.

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Outside the museum, night had fallen as Lily and Parker came out. "We have to get to Ysia Oswald," Lily said.

"If she's still alive."

"Lily!" called out a familiar voice.

The girls turned as Raz ran over to join them. "Oh, look who it is," said Parker unhappily.

"Found something you'll like," he said to Lily. He trotted off and Lily immediately followed. Parker headed off after them a little more slowly, still angry at Raz.

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The three of them were walking across Hungerford Bridge, heading towards the south side of the river. "Tuesday morning, all you've gotta do is turn up and say the bag was yours."

"Just forget about your court date right now, Parker," Lily insisted.

They continue onwards, but Parker glanced around for a moment. She saw a woman with her camera pointed towards her. Parker slowly turned around and continued to walk.

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Raz led the other two across the under-croft. A boy had just done some kind of clever jump on his pushbike. "Dude, that was rad!" said a girl, watching.

"If you wanna hide a tree in the middle of a forest, this is the best place to do it, wouldn't you say?" Lily asked. "People would just walk straight past, not knowing, unable to decipher the message."

Raz pointed to a particular area on the heavily-graffitied walls. "There. I spotted it earlier." Amongst all the other paint there were slashes of the yellow paint forming Chinese symbols. Some of them were already partially painted over by other artists' tags and pictures.

"They have been in here," Lily said. She turned to Raz. "And that's the exact same paint?"

"Yeah."

"Parker, if we're going to decipher this code, we're gonna need to look for more evidence."

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The two of them split up and begin searching. Lily walked along the end of a railway line and found an abandoned spray can on the tracks. Squatting down to pick it up, she put the end of his flashlight into her mouth and ran a thumb over the yellow paint on the nozzle, then sniffed the nozzle.

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Parker walked through an underpass, looking closely at the graffiti and posters on the walls as she went.

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Lily was walking past a wall which had many posters glued to it. One of the posters attracted her attention and she tore off the bottom corner of it and took it with her as she continued onwards.

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Parker was out on the railway lines. Her flashlight picked out splashes of yellow paint on the sleepers and on the rails, then she raised her light to a brick wall, possibly the wall of a maintenance shed, which was about fifteen feet wide. She stepped back, her mouth open in surprise as she began to realise that the entire wall was covered with large yellow Chinese symbols.

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Later, she had finally tracked down Lily who was looking at the side of a parked rail freight container. Parker ran towards her. "Answer your phone! I've been calling you! I've found it." She turned around again and the two of them ran off.

Back at the wall, Parker led Lily towards it and her mouth dropped open in surprise again, but this time for a different reason. The entire wall was blank. "It's been painted over!" Lily shined her flashlight around the area as Parker continued to stare at the wall in disbelief. "I-I don't understand. It-it was here…" she stumbled backwards, "…ten minutes ago. I saw it. A whole load of graffiti!"

"Somebody doesn't want us to see it."

Lily turned and grabbed the sides of Parker head in both hands. "Hey, Lily, what are you doing!…?"

"Shh, Parker, concentrate. I need you to concentrate. Close your eyes."

"No! What? Why? Why?" Lily lowered her hands to hold Parker by the upper arms. "Lily, what're you doing?"

Lily started to slowly spin them around on the spot, staring intently into Parker's eyes. "I need you to maximise your visual memory. Try to picture what you saw. Can you picture it?"

"Yeah."

"Can you remember it?"

"Yes, definitely."

"Can you remember the pattern?"

"Yes!"

"How much can you remember it?"

"Well, don't worry…"

"You may be Nightingale, you may have a super-mind, but everyone has their limits."

"Yeah, well, don't worry – I remember all of it."

"Really?" asked Lily disbelievingly.

"Yeah, well at least I would," she pulled herself free, "if I can get to my pockets!" She rummaged in her jacket pocket. "I took a photograph." She took out her phone and pulled up a flash photo she had taken of the wall which showed all the symbols clearly. She gave the phone to Lily, who took it and looked embarrassed as Parker sighed and turned away.

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At the flat, the photograph had been blown up into small sections and then printed out and all the pictures were stuck on the mirror. The numerical value of each symbol had been written against it. Lily was standing at the fireplace looking at the pictures closely and had spotted a pattern. "Always in pairs, Parker."

Parker was sitting at the dining table with her back to the fireplace and her head propped in her hands. She had dozed off with an icepack pressed against her head where the cricket bat struck her. Lily's voice woke her up. She blinked and turned her head, squinting around to her friend. "Hmm?"

"Numbers come with partners."

Parker gazed around the flat blankly. "Gosh, I need to sleep," she muttered.

"Why did she paint it so near the tracks?"

"No idea," Parker said quietly.

"Thousands of people pass by there every day."

Parker propped her head in her hand again. "Just twenty minutes, please."

Lily realised something. "Of course." She looked at a photo of the full wall, and smiled triumphantly. "Of course! She wants information. She's trying to communicate with her people in the underworld. Whatever was stolen, she wants it back." She ran her finger over the symbols. "Somewhere here in the code."

She pulled three photographs off the wall and turned towards the door. "We can't crack this without Ysia Oswald."

"Oh, good!" said Parker said sarcastically. Tiredly, she got up to follow.

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Back at the National Antiquities Museum. The girls were with Andy again in the same display room they met him in earlier. "Two men who travelled back from China were murdered," Lily said, "and their killer left them messages in the Hangzhou numerals."

"Ysia Oswald is in danger," Parker stressed. "Now, that cipher – it was just the same pattern as the others. He means to kill her as well."

"Look," said Andy. "I've tried everywhere: um, friends, colleagues. I-I don't know where she's gone. I mean, she could be a thousand miles away."

Lily turned her head away in exasperation, but her gaze focused on the nearby glass case displaying the teapots.

"What are you looking at?" Parker wondered.

Lily pointed at the case as she walked towards it. "Tell me more about those teapots."

"Th-the pots were her obsession," Andy explained. "Um, they need urgent work. If-if they dry out, then the clay can start to crumble. Apparently you have to just keep making tea in them."

Lily bent down to look more closely at the shelf. "Yesterday, only one of those pots was shining. Now there are two."

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Ysia Oswald sat in an almost-dark restoration room, pouring tea into the teapot on the desk in front of her. She picked up the lid and carefully stroked it around the rim as, behind her, a silhouette appeared on the other side of a window in the door. Unaware of this, she picked up the teapot and poured some of the liquid into a pair of cups. Pouring more of the tea into the tray on which the cups were standing, she swilled the teapot around to cover the outside with the drips. A figure stepped up beside her. "Fancy a biscuit with tha–?"

Before Lily could finish the sentence Ysia gasped in fright and turned towards her, the teapot dropped from her terrified fingers. Lily reacted instantly and bent her knees to reach down and catch the teapot before it hit the floor. She looked up at her. "Centuries old. Don't wanna break that."

She slowly straightened up and handed the teapot back to Ysia. As she took it, Lily reached out and flicked a switch on the desk, turning on the lights underneath the surface. She smiled slightly at her. "Hello."


	7. Chapter 7

7: The Blind Banker – Part III

**Happy new year and happy new Sherlock season!**

Parker had arrived and she and Ysia sat on stools on opposite sides of the table. Lily stood at the end of the table. "You saw the cipher," Ysia said quietly. "Then you know she is coming for me."

"You've been clever to avoid her so far," Lily said.

"I had to finish…to finish this work. It's only a matter of time. I know she will find me."

"Who is she?" Lily wondered. "Have you met her before?"

Ysia nodded. "When I was a little girl, living back in China. I recognise her…'signature'."

"The cipher?" Parker asked.

Ysia nodded again. "Only she would do this. Zhi Zhu."

"Zhi Zhu?" wondered Lily.

"The Spider," Parker clarified. Thank you two months of Chinese language studies.

Putting her right foot up on her opposite knee, Ysia unlaced her shoe and took it off. On the underside of her heel was a black tattoo of a lotus flower inside a circle. "You know this mark?" There was no response other then Parker shaking her head. "It's the mark of a Tong."

"Hmm?" Parker wondered.

"Ancient crime syndicate based in China," Lily said. Parker raised an eyebrow as if to say: 'And how, exactly, do you know that?'

"Every foot soldier bears the mark; everyone who hauls for them."

"Hauls?" asked Parker. Ysia looked up at her and Parker's eyes widened. "Y-you mean you were a smuggler?"

She lowered her gaze again and put her shoe back on. "I was fifteen. My parents were dead. I had no livelihood; no way of surviving day to day except to work for the bosses."

"Who are they?" Lily inquired.

"They are called the Black Lotus," Ysia explained. "By the time I was sixteen, I was taking thousands of pounds' worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. But I managed to leave that life behind me. I came to England." She smiled a little. "They gave me a job here. Everything was good; a new life."

"And then she came looking for you."

"Yes," whispered Ysia. Upset by the memories, she swallowed before continuing tearfully. "I had hoped after five years maybe they would have forgotten me, but they never really let you leave. A small community like ours – they are never very far away." She wiped tears from her face. "She came to my flat. She asked me to help her to track down something that was stolen."

"And you've no idea what it was?" Parker asked.

"I refused to help."

Parker leaned forward. "So you knew her well? You know…when you were living back in China?"

Ysia nodded. "Oh yes." She looked up at the two of them. "She is my twin sister." Parker's eyes widened and Lily closed her eyes for a moment. "Two orphans. We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus, or starve on the streets like beggars. My sister has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan – the Black Lotus general. I turned my sister away. She said I had betrayed her. Next day I came to work and the cipher was waiting.

Lily laid the photographs on the table. "Can you decipher these?"

Ysia leaned forward and pointed to the mark beside Sir William's portrait. "These are numbers." Ysia pointed to another photograph. "Here: the line across the man's eyes – it's the Chinese number one."

Lily pointed to the first photo. "And this one is fifteen. But what's the code?"

"All the smugglers know it," Ysia said quietly. "It's based upon a book–" Just then almost all the lights went out. Ysia looked up in dread. Lily straightened up and looked around sharply. "She's here," Ysia said softly, her face full of terror. "Zhi Zhu. She has found me."

Lily instantly raced across the room. Parker called out to her fellow hero softly but urgently. "L-Lily! Lily, wait!" Lily charged out of the room. Parker turned to Ysia and grabbed her hand. "Come here." She pulled her across the room towards another room. "Get in. Get in!"

Lily raced across a large open foyer with a staircase at each end and a balcony surrounding the floor above. She stopped in the middle of the foyer and looked around. From her right, a figure ran across the balcony and fired a pistol at her. Lily turned and ran in the opposite direction, flinging herself to the floor and sliding along it to take shelter behind a statue on a low plinth. The figure fired a couple more times as Lily scrambled behind the plinth.

In the restoration room, Parker looked up worriedly at the sound of gunfire, then turned to Ysia. "I have to go and help. Bolt the door after me." She hurried off and Ysia Oswald's face filled with dread. Parker made her way cautiously out into the foyer, then ducked and ran for cover as more gunshots rang out. The figure ran back across the balcony and disappeared from view.

Lily came out from behind the plinth and hared across the foyer and up the stairs with her super speed. Parker peered out from behind a column at the other end of the foyer as Lily reached the top of the stairs and teared around the corner. She pelted into another display room and the gunman ran out of cover behind her and fires towards her again. Lily ducked behind a display cabinet displaying some ancient skulls as the figure fired again. "Careful!" Lily called out. The gunman fired again.  
"Some of those skulls are over two hundred thousand years old! Have a bit of respect!" She paused for a couple of seconds, breathing heavily. There were no more gunshots. "Thank you!" There were no more sounds from the gunman. After a moment Lily frowned, then carefully peered through the glass of the case.

In the restoration room, Ysia looked up anxiously. Ysia closed her eyes in defeated despair. Ysia took a shaky breath and slowly began to crawl out of her hiding place. On the desk, paperwork was fluttering in a slight breeze. Ysia crawled to the edge of the table and peered over the top of it before slowly standing up. Behind her, a woman who looked exactly like her except for a few subtle facial features silently walked up and stopped just behind her, staring at her intently. As if sensing her, Ysia turned slowly around, and then gazed at her with affection as she recognised her. She softly greeted her by name. "Aria Song Oswald…" She hesitated for a moment. "Sister…" She reached out and put her hand on her shoulder. "Please…"

As Parker continued to search for her friend, a single gunshot rang out in the distance. She turned towards the sound, her face filling with appalled horror as she realised where the shot had come from. "Oh no…" She raced back to the stairs and ran down them, across the foyer and back to the restoration room. Entering the room, she slowed down and looked around cautiously for any sign of the gunman. Carefully making her way across the room, she stopped and then groaned in despair and guilt at the sight which greeted her. Ysia lay dead on the table, her outstretched arm revealing a black origami lotus flower in her upturned hand.

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At the Yard, Lily and Parker were standing a short distance away from Dimmock who had his back to them and was rummaging through paperwork on a desk as if trying to ignore them. "How many murders is it gonna take before you start believing that this maniac's out there?" Parker asked lividly. Dimmock turned and walked in between them, heading for another desk. Parker turned around and followed him. "A young girl was gunned down tonight. That's three victims in three days. You're supposed to be finding them."

Lily walked across in front of Parker to get nearer to Dimmock. Parker stepped back and walked a few paces away in exasperation. "Brian Lukis and Eddie Van Coon were working for a gang of international smugglers – a gang called the Black Lotus operating here in London right under your nose," Lily said. She leaned closer to Dimmock to emphasise her last point. Dimmock finally looked round to her.

"Can you prove that?" Dimmock asked.  
Lily straightened up, not sure what to do.

Parker got an idea. "I think I know someone who can help."

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In the canteen, Molly Hooper was looking at the choices in the self-service display. "What are you thinking: pork or the pasta?"

Molly turned in surprise at the voice beside her. "Oh, Parker, it's you!" she said. Parker smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've had a bit much on my plate, haven't had much time on my hands. Good to see you again Molly." She looked down at the food options. "Personally I'd get pasta, but that's just me." She shrugged. Parker turned to Molly again. "Er…Molly, can I ask you a favour?"

"Uh, sure! What is it?"

"I need to examine some bodies."

Molly was startled. "You need to look at some bodies?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've begun working with The Dynamic Duo Detective Agency. It's for a case. Eddie Van Coon and Brian Lukis."

Molly looked at the clipboard she was holding. "They're on my list."

Parker turned on puppy-dog eyes. "Do you think you could wheel them out again for me?"

"Well…the paperwork's already gone through," she said apologetically.

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Later, two body bags were lying on adjacent tables. Molly, wearing latex gloves, unzipped one of the bags and pulled the sides apart to reveal the face of Brian Lukis. Parker led Dimmock into the room. "We're just interested in the feet," Lily said.

"The feet?"

"Yes. D'you mind if we have a look at them?

Smiling at Molly, Lily led Dimmock to the other end of the body bag. Molly followed her and unzipped the bag at that end, pulling the sides back to reveal the bottom of Lukis' feet. On the bottom of the right heel was a tattoo identical to the one which Ysia showed the girls earlier. Lily straightened up, a smug expression on her face, and walked over to the other table. "Now Van Coon, please."

Molly and Dimmock followed her to the second table and she unzipped the other body bag. Van Coon had an identical tattoo on his right heel. Dimmock sighed silently. "Oh!" Lily said in mock surprise.

"So…" Dimmock said awkwardly.

"So either these two men just happened to visit the same Chinese tattoo parlour or I'm telling the truth."

Dimmock sighed in resignation. "What do you want?"

"I want every book from Lukis' apartment and Van Coon's."

"…Their books?"

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The girls walked into the living room, taking off their coats. Parker sat down in her chair; Lily remained standing. "Not just a criminal organisation; it's a cult," Lily said. "Her sister was corrupted by one of its leaders."

"Ysia said the name."

"Yes, Shan; General Shan."

Parker shook her head. "We're still no closer to finding them."

"Actually, we're closer than you think. We've got almost all we need to know. She gave us most of the missing pieces." She looked at Parker, waiting for her to agree. When Parker said nothing, she impatiently explained. "Why did she need to visit her sister? Why did she need her expertise?"

"She worked at the museum."

"Exactly."

Parker finally caught up. "An expert in antiquities. Mmm, of course. I see."

"Valuable antiquities, Parker. Ancient Chinese relics purchased on the black market. China's home to a thousand treasures hidden after Mao's revolution."

"And the Black Lotus is selling them." Lily tilted her head as she got an idea.

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Later, Lily was sitting at the dining table surfing Crispians' website for recent auctions, focusing on the auctions of Chinese and other Asian works of art. Parker was leaning over her shoulder to look at the screen. Lily skimmed through the list "Check for the dates…" She pointed to a particular auction lot – two Chinese Ming vases. "Here, Parker."

"Mmm.

"Arrived from China four days ago." She ran her finger down the details and looked at the Sale Information at the bottom which includes the statement "Source – Anonymous". "Anonymous. Vendor doesn't give his name. Two undiscovered treasures from the East."

"One in Lukis' suitcase and one in Van Coon's," Parker said.

Lily moved to the Quest search site and typed into the search bar, narrating as she does so, although she actually typed the word "Chinese" first. "…antiquities sold at auction." The results list showed up. "Look, here's another one."

"Mmm."

"Arrived from China a month ago: Chinese ceramic statue, sold four hundred thousand."

Parker consulted Lukis' diary as she spotted another entry on the screen. "Ah, look: a month before that – a Chinese painting, half a million."

"All of them from an anonymous source. They're stealing them back in China and one by one they're feeding them into Britain."

"Huh." She looked at Lukis' diary again and then at the printout of Van Coon's calendar. "And every single auction coincides with Lukis or Van Coon travelling to China."

Lily smiled. "So what if one of them got greedy when they were in China? What if one of them stole something?"

"That's why Zhi Zhu's come."

Mrs. Coleman knocked on the open door of the living room. "Ooh-ooh!" The girls turn to her. "Sorry. Are we collecting for charity, Lily?"

"What?"

"A young man's outside with crates of books."

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Two uniformed police officers were carrying in yet another of the many plastic crates which had been dumped in the living room. "So, the numbers are references," Lily said.

"To books," Parker said with a nod.

"To specific pages and specific words on those pages."

"Right, so…fifteen and one: that means…page fifteen and it's the first word you read."

"Yeah."

"So what's the message?" wondered Parker.

"Depends on the book. That's the cunning of the book code. Has to be one that they both owned."

Parker looked around despairingly at the many many crates in the room, each either labelled "Van Coon" or "Lukis". "Okay, right. Well, this shouldn't take too long, should it?" She went over to the nearest crate and flipped open the lid, sighing tiredly as she saw the amount of books inside. Lily opened another crate and started taking books out, looking at the cover of each one. Parker took a handful from her crate and carried them over to the dining table and sat down.

Dimmock walked in and held up an evidence bag to Lily. "We found these, at the museum." She showed the bag to Parker. It contained the photographs of the cipher which Lily had been showing to Ysia. "Is this your writing?"

Parker took the bag. "Uh, we hoped Ysia could decipher it for us. Thanks." Dimmock nodded and turned back to Lily, who was still unloading his crate.

"Anything else I can do? To assist you, I mean?"

"Some silence right now would be marvellous," Lily said, continuing her search. Dimmock stared at her, then looked across to Parker, who shook her head apologetically. Biting his lip, Dimmock turned and left the room.

Lily took out a book from a crate and realised that she already got one like it from another crate. She put them side by side – hard backed copies of Iain Banks' "Transition". Opening one of them to page fifteen, she looked at the first word on the page and then narrated the word in exasperated disappointment. "Cigarette." Slamming the book closed, she put both versions on top of the pile on the desk.

"Ah…" Parker said quietly.

Lily went back to rummaging through crates as Parker puts her pile onto the floor and went back to get more from a crate. Later, Lily found two more identical books, "Freakonomics", from the two men's collections. She flicked to page fifteen, which is the beginning of a chapter headed "What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?" Moving down to the first word of the chapter, she read it and then looked up in frustration. "Imagine."

Again, she dumped the two books on Parker's pile.

After having been at it all night, sunlight seeped through the windows. Lily had removed her jacket and Parker had taken her sweater off but they were still in the same positions as they were when they began. Time moved on and the day light was even brighter outside. Books were scattered everywhere over the table and the floor and some of the crates had been shifted about. As Lily ran her fingers through her hair and then looked around at the crates and sighed. An alarm went off on Parker's watch. She looked at it and then out of the window as if to confirm that it really is the morning. She sighed tiredly and buried her head in her hands.

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The receptionist at the surgery looked up apologetically at the first person in a queue of patients waiting to speak to her. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Someone in the queue sighed pointedly. "But we haven't got anything now 'til next Thursday."

The woman at the front of the queue turned aside with an exasperated look on her face. "This is taking ages."

"Er, sorry."

John Watson had just happen to be walking through the waiting room but turned back and came over to the reception. "What's the point of making an appointment if they can't even stick to it?" one of the patients asked.

John turned to the receptionist. "Um, what's going on?"

"That new doctor – Ms. Kiehof – she hasn't buzzed the intercom for ages."

"I'll go and have a word."

"Yeah, thanks," the receptionist.

John went to Parker's consulting room and knocked on the door. "Parker?" he said. He waited a few seconds but got no reply. "Parker?" There was still no reply so he opened the door and looked inside. Parker was sitting behind the desk, her head propped up on one fist, fast asleep.

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Parker came out of her consulting room, putting her sweater on and walking over to John who was standing behind the reception desk. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Um, looks like I'm done. I thought I had some more to see."

"Oh, I did one or two of yours."

Parker was silent for a moment. "One or two?"

"Or…five…or six."

Parker sighed. "I'm sorry. That's not very professional." John was silent. "I had, um, a bit of a late one."

"Oh, right." Parker continued to stand there awkwardly. "So, um, what were you doing to keep you up so late?" John asked.

Parker shrugged. "Uh, I was, er, attending a sort of…book event."

"Ah…Date or just with some friends?"

Parker was a bit startled. "Hm? Oh, no…no, it wasn't a date." She glanced over John, trying to figure out what he was implying.

"Do you have one tonight?" he asked.

Parker couldn't help but grin. "No…Unless you want to be."

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Lily was still working on the crates but tried a different tactic. "A book that everybody would own." She turned to her bookcase and pulled down the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the Holy Bible and Harry Potter (of course everyone would own Harry Potter!). Putting them on top of the nearest crate, she opened the dictionary to the indicated page. "Fifteen. Entry one." The word was 'add'. She moved on to Harry Potter and the first word on page fifteen was 'that'. Putting that aside and flicking to page 15 of the Bible, partway through the Book of Genesis, the first word was 'I'. As she closed the book Parker's bedroom door slammed shut and she propped her elbows on the crate and ran her fingers through her hair. Parker walked into the room having changed into a casual dress.

"I need to get some air," Lily said. "We're going out to–" She stopped short when she spotted her friend. "Wait, wait, wait. Why the dress? Yeah, it's not very fancy, but the only time I've seen you in a dress is on Sunday when you go to church."

Parker smiled. "Now don't be surprised when I tell you this, but I've got a date."

Lily stared at Parker blankly for a moment before slowly reaching into her back pocket and taking out her cell phone. She pushed on a speed dial and held the phone to her ear. "Elizabeth, you won't believe this, but Parker's got a date." Parker groaned and fell back into her armchair, knowing there was no point in trying to stop the conversation. "Parker," Lily said. Parker looked up. Lily was holding her phone away from her mouth. "Is it the same guy from earlier? The other doctor?" Parker nodded. Lily turned back to her phone. "Yeah, it is." Parker put her head in her hands.

"And his name is John Watson, just because I know you'll end up asking that question."

After a long conversation, Lily hung up the phone. "So where is he gonna take you?" she asked.

"Cinemas."

Lily frowned and sighed. "Cliché. Try this." She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. Parker accepted it. "In London for one night only. I think it would be interesting for the girl to take the guy for once."

Parker smiled lightly and shook her head. "Sorry, but I don't think that's how this works."

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John and Parker walked down the street. "So…circus instead?" John asked.

Parker sighed. "Sorry about this, my friend's too stubborn. She ordered the tickets no matter what I said to try and convince her not too."

"Perfectly fine," John said. "In that case, I'll pay for it while it's in her name." Parker smiled.

They walked for a bit longer and looked at a number of large red Chinese lanterns strung outside the hall. "I think they're probably from China!" Parker said with a laughed.

"Yes, I think…think so, yes," John agreed.

"There's a coincidence!" Parker said under her breath.

They went inside to the Box Office where the manager was giving a customer her tickets. "That's wonderful," said the customer. "Thank you very much."

"Okay," the manager replied.

The customer turned and walked up the nearby stairs and Parker went over to the office. "Hi. I have, er, two tickets reserved for tonight," she said a bit awkwardly. _The guy is supposed to take the girl and right now it's the other way around, thanks a lot Lily._

"And what's the name?"

"Er, Falda."

The manager rifled through the reservations, then turned back to her with an envelope. "Actually, I have three in that name."

Parker was slightly confused. "No, I don't think so. We only booked two."

"And then I phoned back and got one for myself as well," came a voice. Parker looked up in annoyed disbelief and turned as Lily walked over to them, looking at John. She offered him her hand. "I'm Lily."

John glanced at Parker momentarily, then turns back to the new arrival and shook her hand a little nervously. Parker turned away in exasperation.

"Er, hi," John said.

"Hello." Lily gave Parker a not-so-discrete thumbs up before turning and walking away and calling back as she did so. "Quick word, Parker?"

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The girls were standing a few steps up the stairs as people made their way past them. The two heroes kept their voices down as they spoke. "You couldn't let me have just one night off, could you?" Parker asked.

"Yellow Dragon Circus, in London for one day. It fits. The Tong sent an assassin to England–"

"–dressed as a tightrope walker. Come on, Lily, behave!"

Lily sighed. "We're looking for a killer who can climb, who can shin up a rope. Where else would you find that level of dexterity? Exit visas are scarce in China. They need a pretty good reason to get out of that country. Now, all I need to do is have a quick look round the place…"

"Okay," said Parker. "You go do that. I'm going back to John."

"Come on, Parker, I need your help!"

Parker glared at Crystal. "Look, you were super happy for me when I got a date and now you come crash it?! Go do…whatever it is you do as a detective. I'm finding John." Parker left without letting Lily get in another word.

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In the performance area there was a stage on one side of the large hall and the curtains were closed. However, it looked as if the stage was not going to be used. A circle of candles had been laid out in the middle of the floor, about thirty feet in diameter. The room was dimly lit. The patrons were gathering around the circle but there were no seats. The number of tickets had been limited and there was room for everyone to stand around the circle with a clear view. John and Parker stood side by side while Lily stood behind them with her back to them, looking all around the room and peering up to the ceiling. Parker talked quietly over her shoulder to her fellow Golden Trio member, turning her head away from John so that he couldn't hear. "You said circus. This is not a circus. Look at the size of this crowd. Lily, this is…" she grimaced with distaste, "…art."

"This is not their day job," Lily whispered back over her shoulder.

"No, sorry, I forgot," Parker said, rolling her eyes. "They're not a circus; they're a gang of international smugglers."

The performance began with someone tapping out a rhythm on a tiny hand drum. Lily turned to face the same way as the others and Parker looked over her shoulder at her. Lily quirked an eyebrow at her. An ornately costumed Chinese woman with a heavily painted face – traditionally known as the Opera Singer – walked into the centre of the circle and looked imperiously out at the audience before raising a hand in the air. The drummer finished his riff. The Opera Singer walked across the circle to a large object covered with a cloth which she pulled back to reveal an antique-looking crossbow on a stand. She picked up a long thick wooden arrow with white feathers at one end and a vicious metal point at the other and showed it to the audience before fitting it into place in the crossbow. Straightening up, she pulled a single small white feather from her headdress and again showed it to the audience. On the rear of the crossbow was a small metal cup and she gently dropped the feather into it. Instantly, the arrow was released and whizzed across the room. Lily's head whipped around to follow its flight while John and Parker were still gasping at the sound of the arrow's release. By the time they look round a moment later, the arrow was embedded in a large painted board on the other side of the circle. Parker turned to John and laughed, dramatically putting her hand over her heart.

Instrumental music began, and the audience applauded as a new character entered the circle, wearing chainmail and an ornate head mask. He held his arms out to the sides and two men came over and started to attach heavy chains and straps to him, strapping his now-folded arms in front of him and then backing him up against the board and starting to chain him to it. "Classic Chinese escapology act," Lily said quietly.

John and Parker turned to her. "Hmm?" Parker wondered.

"The crossbow's on a delicate string. The warrior has to escape his bonds before it fires."

The Opera Singer loaded another arrow into the crossbow. The men attached more padlocks and chains and one of them pulled a chain tight, yanking the warrior's head back against the board. The warrior cried out. The men looped the chains through solid rings attached to the board and secure the warrior, who cried out again. Once they finished, they stepped away. The music began building in intensity and cymbals crashed unexpectedly. Parker jumped, clutching at John's arm. "Oh," she said. "Gosh, sorry." She laughed in embarrassment, taking his arm with her other hand as well. John laughed with her, then smiled delightedly as she let go with her more distant hand but continued to hold onto his arm with the other. Lily felt the need to roll her eyes and yet felt the need to give Parker another thumbs up at the same time.

The Opera Singer picked up a small knife and displayed it to the audience. "She splits the sandbag; the sand pours out; gradually the weight lowers into the bowl," Lily explained. The Opera Singer did just as Lily predicted – she reached up to a small sandbag hanging on a long cable and stabbed the knife into the bottom of the sack. Sand began to pour out, and the warrior repeatedly cried out with effort as he tugged at his chains. The sandbag's cable was looped over a pulley and a metal ball was attached to the other end. As the sand continued to pour out of the bag the weight lowered towards the bowl at the back of the crossbow. The warrior got one hand free. John was watching the weight lower, and Parker now looked nervously at it as it crossed paths with the sandbag on its way up. They turned to look at the warrior as he got his other hand free and started tugging at the chains around his neck. The weight was now only a few feet above the bowl and Parker clung tightly to John's arm, grimacing. The warrior cried out again as he pulled at his chains and the weight got ever closer. As it almost reached the lip of the bowl the warrior loosened the chains around his neck and struggled to free himself.

The weight touched the bowl and the arrow streaked across the room. With a split second to spare, the warrior pulled free of the chains and ducked down and the arrow thudded into the board. The warrior cried out triumphantly as the audience began to applaud. Parker gasped in relief. "Oh, goodness!" she said, relieved.

The warrior stood up and took the applause. Still clapping, Parker looked over her shoulder, but Lily had vanished. Parker looked around the hall but couldn't see her anywhere.

Lily had managed to make her way onto the stage, which was being used as the performers' dressing room. There was a dressing table with mirrors, free-standing clothes rails and many other items all around. She looked at everything and noticed that it was almost as if another warrior was standing nearby – except that the chainmail and mask were hanging on a stand.

In the performance area, the Opera Singer raised a hand to halt the audience's applause. "Ladies and gentlemen," she said, "from the distant moonlight shores of the Yangtze River, we present for your pleasure the deadly Chinese bird-spider." As she walked away, a masked acrobat descended from the ceiling, rolling through the air as the broad red band wrapped around her waist unraveled. The audience applauded and she stopped a couple of feet above the ground, holding her body parallel to the floor.

"Did you see that?!" John asked excitedly to Parker. Descending to the floor, the acrobat removed the band from around her waist and split it, revealing that it was made up of two strips of material which she wrapped around her arms and then ran around the circle before taking her weight on the bands, lifting into the air and flying around in a circle several feet above the ground, the red bands soaring out behind her. Parker, John, and the rest of the audience, stared up open-mouthed.

On the stage, Lily went over to the curtains and parted them slightly to look out at the performance. She looked with interest at the acrobat as she floated around. "Well, well," she said quietly.

To the right of the stage, a door opened. Lily ran to take cover, pushing through the middle of the clothes on the clothes rail and then quickly spreading the items out again as the Opera Singer came onto the stage. She went over to the dressing table and picked up a mobile phone, checking it, but looked around sharply as one of the hangars on the rail falls to the floor. Lily ducked down, mouthing things to herself. The Opera Singer headed towards the rail so Lily crouched even lower but the woman continued on and left the stage. Lily looked down and saw a bag on the floor near her feet. Flipping it open, she found several spray cans inside. She picked up one of them and saw that it was labelled "Michigan". A yellow band was across the bottom of the can denoting the colour of the paint. "Found you," Lily said in a soft, sing-song voice. Standing up, she pushed through the clothes on the rail and walked over to the mirrors on the dressing table, shaking up the can as she went. She bent down and sprayed a single almost-horizontal yellow line across one of the mirrors. As she looked at it, the warrior's costume behind her started to move. Frowning, she turned around and realised that the costume was no longer on a stand, but now had a man inside it. The man charged forward, lashing out at her repeatedly with a large knife. Lily ducked backwards to avoid the blows as the warrior pressed forward.

Outside, John and Parker were still watching the acrobat. On the other side of the circle, the closed curtains on the stage began to billow in one particular place. Parker frowned at the curtains for a moment but was then distracted back to the acrobat.

On the stage, Lily used the can she was holding as a bit of a weapon, using it to block a blow from the warrior, ducking below the next swing of the man's knife, then clouting the can across the man's elbow. The warrior responded by kicking her hard in the stomach. The warrior grabbed Lily by the throat but dropped his knife in the process. Lily lashed the man's hand away from the neck and then sprayed the can directly into his masked face before bundling into him and shoving him away firmly. The warrior fell onto his back but used his momentum to raise his legs and then roll forward and flip to his feet again. Lily gave the man a quick impressive look. He took a flying leap at Lily, spinning as he went and his feet hit her in the chest. Lily was propelled backwards through the curtains, straight over the edge of the stage and onto the floor a few feet below. Crashing onto her back, she struggled to get upright again but was too winded and couldn't move much as the warrior came flying out of the curtains and onto the floor in front of him. On instinct, John rushed forward, running towards the warrior as he raised a knife and prepared to plunge it downwards. John charged straight into him, pushing him back against the edge of the stage but the warrior lashed out with one foot, sending John stumbling across the room.

As the audience fled, the acrobat took off her mask, took one look at the fight and decided she wanted no part of it, running off. Only one person was heading towards the fight and that was Parker, who had found a sturdy broom and came charging across the hall while John was still stumbling across the floor trying to catch his balance and the warrior headed towards Lily who was still lying on the floor winded – and the warrior had a wide-bladed sword in one hand. As he raised the sword above his head, his concentration focussed on delivering the killing blow to the figure at his feet, Parker raced across the floor and slammed the handle end of the broom over the top of the warrior's head. He cried out in pain and before he could react or retaliate she swung the broom sideways and smashed it across his ribs. She instantly delivered a second blow to the same area and he fell to the ground, grunting and almost unconscious.

As Parker straightened up, flicking a lock of hair out of her eyes, Lily sat up and leaned forward to the warrior's right foot, pulling off his shoe to reveal a Tong tattoo on his heel. John had finally managed to turn around, though he was almost doubled over in pain and was still trying to catch his breath. As Lily scrambled to her feet, John grabbed Parker's hand and started to pull her towards the exit.

"Come on," he said, almost voicelessly.

Lily raced off ahead of them. "Come on!" she called out. "Let's go!"

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At the Yard, D.I. Dimmock stormed into the office, followed by the girls and a rather – considering the situation – calm John. Dimmock was clearly not in a good mood. "I sent a couple of cars. The old hall is totally deserted."

"Look," Lily insisted. "I saw the mark at the circus – that tattoo that we saw on the two bodies: the mark of the Tong."

Dimmock reached his desk and turned to face the others.

"Lukis and Van Coon were part of a-a smuggling operation," Parker said. "Now, one of them stole something when they were in China; something valuable."

"These circus performers were gang members sent here to get it back," Lily finished.

"Get what back?"

Lily bit her lip, looking away angrily. Parker was hesitant to answer. "We don't know.

"…You don't know." Lily still wouldn't meet his eyes. "Ms. Falda…" He sat down. "I've done everything you asked. Lestrade, he seems to think your advice is worth something." Lily lifted her head and gave a faint but proud smile. "I gave the order for a raid. Please tell me I'll have something to show for it – other than a massive bill for overtime."


	8. Chapter 8

8: The Blind Banker – Part IV

**1) Sorry for not updating. I went skiing for the first time ever and my everything hurts.**

**2) I checked my email when I got back and I had 20 new fanfiction things in my inbox. After staring for a second, I muttered to myself: HOLY CRAP!**

**THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOO MUCH!**

**Noodle Fanatic - Oh yes…memories :) Thank you! No. His name is Leon…Actually, you don't meet Sherlock…sorry. Not until season three anyway! :D Because, honey, I HAVE IDEAS!**

**Gracie (guest) - Thank you so much :) Your review just made my day even better. Lily is actually based off of a friend of mine (Noodle Fanatic above) and yes, she's a great friend :)**

**JustRaven - Yeah, Grant's Mycroft, but another character already mentioned will come in and share that position. Can you guess who? :D Yeah, more OCs will come, but so will more Sherlock characters :)**

**Leftthelibrary - I love the ideas! I'm gonna use Consulting Heroes :) Thank you so much! I'm super glad you like this fanfiction and these characters! I just had to throw John in there, it was irresistible. I love John :) Thank you again for spending so much of your time to read! I'm so glad you like it :) I don't really know how beta works. I've been on fanfiction for almost a year now, but I'm always learning (slow learner I am) For a list of powers, see the end of the A/N :)**

**ThatsMessedUpBro - *happily updates***

**Brian (guest) - Oops! Thanks for pointing that out! I'll go back and try to fix it :) Thanks!**

**Nameless (guest) - Well, all of these characters are actually based off of me and my friends (Parker being me) THEY ARE A HANDFUL ;)**

*****At first I was gonna introduce each power gradually, but that's not working. So, powers…here we go!**

**Lily (Crystal): Ice manipulation, super speed  
Elizabeth (Wonder): Flight, hand-beams, shape-shifting  
Parker (Nightingale): Telekinesis, telepathy, super-mind (easy to memorise, easy to work things out)**

Lily led Parker and John into the living room and immediately stared at the pictures over the fireplace as she took her coat off. "They'll be back in China by tomorrow," Parker sighed.

"No," said Lily, shaking her head, "they won't leave without what they came for. We need to find their hide-out; the rendezvous." She walked closer to the photos, staring at them intently. Parker also gazed at the pictures while John hovered nearby, forgotten by the pair of them. Lily ran her fingers over the main picture of the painted brick wall. "Somewhere in this message it must tell us." She and Parker fell silent.

John looked at them for a moment before speaking up. "Well if you're not too busy, we can head over to my flat, Parker."

Both Parker and Lily turned towards him. "Yeah, I think–"

"Well if you wanna stay–"

"…I haven't met you're flatmate–"

"…I'd like to–"

"…We should go."

"…You can stay."

Lily and Parker exchanged glances. Lily gave Parker a discrete look and Parker was convinced. "Actually, if you don't mind," Parker said, "another person to help us out would be pretty nice."

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Lily sat down at the dining table which was covered with photos, notes, and drawings of various pictograms. As she rummaged through them, Parker and John stood nearby, chatting. "So this is what you do," he said, "you and Lily. You solve things?"

"Detectives," Lily said from her spot at the table. "We have another friend currently flying home from her vacation who helps us too."

John nodded. "My flatmate's a detective. Consulting detective."

Lily looked over. "Really? Oh, well maybe you could help us out." John exchanged a glance with Parker and she nodded. They both went over to Lily and John picked up the photograph of the brick wall which Dimmock had brought back sealed in an evidence bag. "So this is a cipher?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lily answered with a nod.

"And each pair of numbers is a word?"

Lily slowly looked back up at John and Parker's eyes widened. "How did you know that?" Parker asked.

"Well, two words have already been translated, here." He put the picture down on the desk and pointed to it. Lily took the photo from him and stared at it.

Lily stood up. "Parker, look at this." She took the photo out of the evidence bag and Parker looked over. "Ysia at the museum – she started to translate the code for us. We didn't see it!" Written in fine pen, a word had been written across each of the first two sets of symbols on the photograph. Lily read them out. "'NINE MILL'."

Parker squinted at the photo. "Does that mean 'million'?"

"Nine million quid. For what?" She turned and went over to where she dumped her coat and beanie. "We need to know the end of this sentence."

"Where are you going?" Parker asked.

"To the museum; to the restoration room," Lily said while putting her coat on. She grimaced in exasperation to herself. "Oh, we must have been staring right at it!"

"At-at what?" stuttered Parker.

"The book, Parker. The book – the key to cracking the cipher!" She brandished the photo at Parker. "Ysia used it to do this! Whilst we were running around the gallery, she started to translate the code. It must be on her desk." And Lily was off, hurrying out the door.

Out on Kaber Street, a man and woman were walking along the road. Obviously tourists, they were consulting the London A-Z and looking around. Lily burst out of the door of 313G, running towards the kerb to hail a passing black cab. "Taxi!"

As she swept past the tourists, she brushed past hard enough to break the man's hold on the book, which fell to the ground. The man yelled at her indignantly in German. "Hey, du! Siehst du nicht wo du hingehst?"

Lily turned back and picked up the book, handing it back to the man. "Sorry," she said. She didn't know any German.

"Ja, danke!" he said snarkily, snatching the book back. He began to walk away, putting his arm around his wife. "Und dann sagen die, dass die Engländer höflich sind!"

Lily turned and raised her arm to the cab again but it had already driven past. She grunted in exasperation and walked down the road, looking over her shoulder to check traffic coming from behind her. After a few yards, she stopped and turned back again, grunting angrily a second time as no cabs came for her. Looking up and down the road, she saw a Chinese couple, father and daughter, standing at the corner over the road and consulting an A-Z as they too try to work out their route. Lily's eyes narrowed. Lily's mouth opened in startled realisation and she broke into a run, chasing back towards the German couple. "Please, wait!" she shouted.

The tourists turned back and frowned in confusion as she hurried toward them. "Was will sie? Was will sie?" Lily ran up to them and snatched the A-Z from the man's hands and turned away, looking down at the book. "Hey, du! Was macht du?"

Lily turned back to him momentarily. "Wait a minute!"

"Gib mir doch mein Buch zurück!" the tourist said angrily. Ignoring him, and not sure what he was saying anyway, Lily turned her back on the couple again and opened the book. Waving his hand in exasperation at the crazy Englander, the man put his arm around his wife and they walked away.

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Upstairs, John and Parker had relocated to the kitchen. John was sitting at the side table and Parker was standing nearby. "Yeah!" Parker said. "No, absolutely. I mean, well, a quiet night in's just-just what the doctor ordered." John chuckled nervously. "Er, I mean, I'd love to go out on an evening and wrestle a few Chinese gangsters, you know, generally, but a girl can get too much."

John had been giggling silently as she spoke and then he nodded in agreement. "So, uh, how'd you get that?" he asked, tapping to his head the place where Parker's cricket bat injury was on her own.

"Oh! Er, wrestling a Chinese gangster." They both chuckled and smiled at each other, then Parker looked away, laughing in embarrassment. "Sorry I dragged you into this mess," Parker said quietly.

"No, it's fine. I've faced worse with Sherlock."

Parker nodded. "He your flatmate?"

John nodded. "Yeah." He paused. "Hmm. Um, shall we get a takeaway?"

"Yeah."

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On the street, Lily was flicking through the pages of the A-Z. "Page fifteen, entry one. Page fifteen, entry one…" She turned to the correct page and looked at the first entry on that index page. It read 'Deadmans Lane NW9'. Lily lifted her head. "Dead man. You were threatening to kill them. It's the first cipher." She took the photograph of the message sprayed on the brick wall out of his coat pocket and unfolded it. With the first two words already translated, she looked at the third pair of symbols and then started flicking to the correct page in the book. "Thirty-seven, nine; thirty-seven, nine…" The appropriate entry on that page read 'Fore St EC2'. Lily got out a pen from her coat pocket and wrote 'FOR' over the relevant symbols on the photo. "Nine mill…for…"

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In the kitchen, Parker has sat down on the seat that John vacated. Someone knocked on the front door downstairs. "Ooh, blimey, that was quick. I'll just pop down." He headed towards the kitchen door.

"Do you want me to lay the table?" Parker asked.

John looked around at the kitchen table which was covered with Lily's, Elizabeth's, and Parker's paperwork. "Um, eat off trays?" Parker nodded. "Yeah," John said.

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Lily was still translating the symbols. "Sixty, thirty-five." On the relevant page, the appropriate entry read 'Jade Cl. E16'. "Jade." She wrote on the photograph as she said the word again. "Jade…"

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John opened the front door and smiled at the man standing on the doorstep, who was wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up. "Sorry to keep you," he said, rummaging in his trouser pocket. "How much d'you want?"

"Is Lily Falda here?"

John looked around blankly. "What?"

"Does Falda have the treasure?"

"I don't understand." The man coshed John around the left side of his head with a pistol. John fell to the floor.

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Lily turned to the page for the final word. Finding the correct entry, she wrote 'TRAMWAY' onto the photograph and then read the whole message aloud. "'Nine mill for jade pin dragon den black'," she raised her head and stared ahead of her, "'tramway'."

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In the kitchen of the flat there was no sign of Parker. The overhead suspended neon light was swaying gently back and forth. One tray was on the table, containing a clean plate, cutlery, and a glass of punch while the second one was one the floor, punch trickling across the tiles, plate smashed, and cutlery scattered. Two chairs were overturned and there was a small pool of blood on the floor.

Downstairs, the front door slammed and Lily called out. "Parker! Parker! I've got it!" She ran into the living room, brandishing the A-Z. "The cipher! The book! It's the London A to Z that they're using…" She trailed off before she could finish the last word as she noticed the commotion in the kitchen. She spotted the blood and she paled. Lily turned around and stared in shock as she saw that yellow paint had been sprayed across the living room windows. On the left-hand window was a sort-of upside down eight with an almost horizontal line across it. On the right-hand window was a single almost horizontal slash. Together they spelled out 'DEAD MAN'. There was no sign of Parker or John. Lily stared at the paint in horror.

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Elizabeth yanked her suitcases towards the door to 313G. She reached for the handle and Lily came bursting out. "Lily, wha–"

Lily hurriedly shoved the suitcases through the door. Once she slammed the door behind her she grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her up the staircase. "Parker and her date have been kidnapped!" she said.

"…What?…"

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Parker regained consciousness sitting on a chair somewhere dark. A fire was burning in a dustbin behind her. She slowly raised her head. There was a bleeding cut on her left temple, right on the cricket bat injury. As she grimaced in pain, the voice of the woman who was the Opera Singer came out of the dim tunnel in front of her. "A book is like a magic garden carried in your pocket." Wincing, Parker turned her head to the left and saw John sitting on another chair with a gag in his mouth. Parker then realised she had one too. John looked round to her, worried, but a calmer than any normal person would be in the situation. Ahead of them was the Chinese woman who she saw photographing her and who was watching her and Lily on Hungerford Bridge. Despite the darkness she was still wearing her dark sunglasses. She walked towards her and there are two Chinese men standing behind the approaching woman, and a couple of other fires were burning to illuminate the area. A few feet ahead of where John and Parker were tied to their chairs by their hands and feet was a large object covered with cloth. The woman raised her sunglasses to the top of her head and looked down at Parker. "Chinese proverb, Ms. Falda."

Parker looked up at her, startled. She tried to say something, but remembered the gag. The woman yanked it off. Parker gasped from the pain in her head. She blinked. "I-I'm not Lily Falda."

The Opera Singer smiled humourlessly. "Forgive me if I do not take your word for it." She reached down and pulled Parker's jacket open, rummaging in the inside pocket. "Ow. Ow!" She took out her wallet, opened it, and took something out of it. "Debit card, name of L Falda."

"Take my card."

"Yes; that's not actually mine. She lent that to me."

The woman looked in the wallet again. "A cheque for five thousand pounds made out in the name of Ms. Liliana Falda."

_"She's, uh, she's kidding you, obviously." She held her hand out. "Sh-shall I look after that for her?"_

"Yeah, she gave me that to look after."

The woman found something else in the wallet. "Tickets from the theatre, collected by you, name of Falda."

_"What's the name?"_

_"Er…Falda."_

"Yes, okay…I realise what this looks like, but I'm not h–." Before she could finish the sentence, the woman raised a small pistol and pointed it at Parker's head. She cringed away from it, blowing out a panicked breath. The woman grinned.

"I am Shan."

Parker stared up at her. "You're…you're Shan?"

"Three times we tried to kill you and your companion, Ms. Falda. What does it tell you when an assassin cannot shoot straight?" She lifted her other hand and cocked the pistol. Parker cringed back, turning her head away and whispering, "Don't, don't," as she struggled against her bonds. Shan looked down at her and her expression becomes ominous. Parker breathed out heavily as Shan's finger tightened on the trigger. Parker stared into the barrel of the gun, her face full of terror as Shan pulled the trigger all the way. The gun clicked. Parker grunted in shock, and Shan smiled smugly. "It tells you that they're not really trying." Parker breathed heavily, trying to get control of herself.

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Lily hurried over to the bookcase. Elizabeth's mouth fell open when she saw the scene left in the kitchen. "Is that…blood?"

"Tramway…" Lily muttered. As if she had lost control of her memory in her fear for her friend, she stared at the books on the shelf for a few moments as she tried to find what she wanted. "Oh, gosh," she said faintly. Elizabeth walked over and pulled out a folding map of London. Lily snatched it from her. Turning back to the dining table, she unfolded the map and spread it out, running her finger over it until she stabbed it down. "There." She turned and headed out of the door, followed by Elizabeth.

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Shan slid a clip into the pistol and then cocked it again before pointing it at Parker's head a second time. Parker cringed away from it. "Not blank bullets now," she said.

"Okay," Parker said breathily.

"If we wanted to kill you, Ms. Falda, we would have done it by now. We just wanted to make you inquisitive." She looked at Parker sternly. "Do you have it?"

"D-Do I have what?"

"The treasure."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Shan turned away. "I would prefer to make certain." She looked at her followers, one of whom pulled the cover off the large object to reveal the crossbow which was used at the circus. An arrow was already loaded in it. Parker stared at it and sighed deeply. Shan turned back to her. "Everything in the West has its price; and the price for his life…" Parker turned and stared at John, who remained level-headed, "…information."

The two people walked over and picked up John's chair. He attempted to kick the kidnappers as they carried him towards the crossbow.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," Parker said, anguished and under her breath.

The two people set the chair down on the other side of the crossbow, putting John facing the arrow tip and directly in line with it. He stared at it, tugging in vain at the ropes tying him to the chair. Shan glared down at Parker. "Where's the hairpin?" he asked.

Parker tugged at her own bonds in spite of the pistol aimed at her. "What?" she asked.

"The Empress pin valued at nine million sterling. We already had a buyer in the West; and then one of our people was greedy. He took it, brought it back to London and you, Ms. Falda, have been searching."

"Please," Parker begged. "Please, listen to me. I'm not…I'm not Lily Falda. You have to believe me. I haven't found whatever it is you're looking for."

"I need a volunteer from the audience!" Shan said loudly.

"No," Parker said desperately, "please. Please!"

Shan walked towards John. "Ah, thank you. Yes, you'll do very nicely."

John yelled through his gag, tugging desperately at his ropes. Shan smiled, took out a knife, and reached up to the sandbag suspended over a pulley hanging from the ceiling. She stabbed the knife into the bag and sand began to pour out. John continued to struggled as Parker sighed out an appalled breath and stared up at the bag in horror. Shan smiled and looked around at her 'audience'. "Ladies and gentlemen. From the distant moonlit shores of NW1, we present for your pleasure: Lily Falda's loyal boyfriend in a death-defying act."

"Please!" Parker shouted, ignoring the fact that Shan said 'boyfriend'.

Shan walked over to John and placed a black origami lotus flower on his lap. "You've seen the act before. How dull for you. You know how it ends."

"I am not Lily Falda!" Parker shouted frantically. Her voice cracked and she let a solitary tear fall.

"I don't believe you."

"You should, you know," came an all too familiar voice. Shan spun around as a silhouette appeared at the far end of the tunnel. "Lily Falda is nothing at all like her." Shan raised her pistol, cocked it, and aimed it towards Lily. She immediately dodged to the side of the tunnel, disappearing into the shadows. One of Shan's thugs started to hurry towards the end of the tunnel. Lily's voice came out from the darkness as Parker sighed out a half-relieved, half-exasperated breath. "How would you describe me, dear Parker? Resourceful? Dynamic? Enigmatic?"

"Late," said Parker tetchily. "Not to mention modest," she added sarcastically.

"Oooh!" Lily said. "Is that a semi-automatic? Well if it is, if you fire it, the bullet will travel at over a thousand metres per second."

Shan continued aiming her pistol towards the shadows. "Well?"

"Well…" The thug reached a large storage container standing at the side of the tunnel. Lily ran out from behind it and thwacked the man across the stomach with a metal pipe. The man grunted and collapsed to the ground. Lily immediately ducked back into the shadows. "…the radius curvature of these walls is nearly four metres. If you miss, the bullet will ricochet. Could hit anyone. Might even bounce off the tunnel and hit you." She burst out of the darkness and ran to the nearby burning dustbin, kicking it over. Parker flinched at the loud crash and Shan's eyes widened as she realised that it was now even more impossible to see that area of the tunnel.

Parker peered into the darkness, trying to see how close her friend was. Lily reappeared just behind John and squatted down behind him, starting to untie her bonds. Parker felt her bonds being undone. "Wha–?" She trued to look over her shoulder and managed to spot Elizabeth. "Elizabeth?!" Elizabeth shushed her friend.

One of the other foot soldiers – who was Aria, Ysia's sister – ran over to Lily and looped a long red scarf around her throat a couple of times. Lily cried out and stood up, tugging at the part of the scarf around her neck as Aria pulled it tight. As they struggled, John looked at them for a moment, then at Elizabeth working on Parker's bonds, and then turned back to stare at the arrowhead pointed directly at him. He lifted his gaze to the sandbag, which was just passing the counterbalanced weight on its way down towards the metal cup on the crossbow. Behind him, Lily shook off Aria for a moment and again crouched to John's bonds. Aria hurried forward and swung another loop of the scarf around Lily's neck and again starts pulling her away.

As the two of them continued to struggle, Elizabeth groaned if frustration. "I've never been good at knots." She looked around and sighed. "Screw this…" She put her hand out, palm facing the ropes. "This may sting." She used a hand beam to break the binds. Parker cried out and rubbed her wrists. She had first degree burns, but they would heal. Elizabeth did the same with Parker's ankles.

Aria swung yet another loop of the scarf around Lily's neck. John gazed up at the descending metal ball as the women behind him continued to struggle and Parker stumbled to get up. John's eyes dropped to the arrowhead again as the ball continued relentlessly downwards.

Parker stumbled and fell, hissing in the stinging sensation on her head. Elizabeth glanced between each person in the room and her eyes landed upon the crossbow. She rushed forward and shoved it. The crossbow shifted position, twisting slightly to the left just as the ball connected with the cup. The arrow was fired and soared across the tunnel and buried itself in Aria's stomach. She grunted, then straightened up, her face full of shock. She groaned breathily for a moment, then slowly toppled to the floor.

Gasping for breath, Lily stood up and looked around. Distant running footsteps could be heard – General Shan was leaving the building. She looked in the direction of the sound as if considering following, but John's loud struggling distracted her and she unlooped the red scarf from around her neck and then dropped to her knees beside him. "Are you alright?" she asked. On the floor, Parker groaned as she struggled to get up onto her feet. Lily untied John's gag and took it from his mouth. "Are you alright?" she repeated.

"Yeah," John said quietly. "Yeah, I'm fine." Lily then bent down to untie the ropes. John looked over to Parker who was crying silently from both pain and fright. Elizabeth was helping her friend get to her feet, comforting her. John smiled wearily. "Don't worry. Next date won't be like this."

Lily finished undoing John's bonds and looked over to Parker. Elizabeth was whispering comforting words to her fellow hero and Parker didn't bother holding it back anymore. Her hands were over her mouth as she hiccupped and sobbed. John got up and stumbled over to Parker. Lily sighed and looked down the tunnel wistfully.

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The police had arrived to clear up the mess at the tramway. Dimmock was waiting beside a police car just outside the tunnel as John put his arm around Parker's shoulders – she was wearing a shock blanket – and walked her away. Lily and Elizabeth were just behind them and Lily stopped to talk to the inspector. She motioned for Elizabeth to not wait up. Liz nodded and went to talk to Parker. "We'll just slip off," Lily said. "No need to mention us in your report."

"Ms. Falda–"

"I have high hopes for you, Inspector. A glittering career."

Dimmock sighed. "I go where you point me." Lily nodded and walked away. Dimmock turned and watched her leave. He smiled ruefully.

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In the kitchen, Parker was sitting at the table while Elizabeth stood next to her and poured her a mug of tea from a teapot. "Thanks," Parker said. She'd gotten stitches for the first time the night previous and she hoped she would never have to again.

Elizabeth sat down. "Well…I missed a crazy week." Parker smiled half-heartedly as Lily walked in.

Lily took a seat by Parker. Parker was looking at the translated message. "…So, 'Nine mill'…"

Lily poured herself a mug of tea. "Million."

Parker nodded. "Million, yes; 'Nine million for jade pin. Dragon den, black Tramway'."

"An instruction to all their London operatives."

"Mmm," Parker said, taking a sip of tea.

"A message; what they were trying to reclaim."

Parker raised an eyebrow. "What, a jade pin?"

Lily nodded. "Yep. Worth nine million pounds. Bring it to the Tramway, their London hideout."

Elizabeth held up a hand. "Hang on: a hairpin worth nine million pounds?"

"Apparently," Lily said with a shrug.

Elizabeth sighed. "Wow, I did miss a lot of stuff."

"Why so much?" Parker asked.

Lily paused for a moment. "Depends who owned it."

Everything was silent as they drank their tea. Parker had a look of guilt on her face. She sighed and glanced up at Elizabeth. "He saw," she said. Elizabeth looked up.

"Pardon?"

Parker shook her head. "He saw. John saw you use your powers to free me." Lily and Elizabeth exchanged glances. Parker sighed. "I had to explain. He knows who we are but he'll keep it a secret." She looked down at her cup.

Lily cleared her throat. "Do you think you'll go on another date with him?" she asked. Parker was surprised. "Well, he seems like a nice guy and now that he knows…" Lily trailed off, not sure what to say.

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Lily and Elizabeth were walking towards the entrance to the bank. Elizabeth demanded Parker stayed at the flat and get some rest. She said she'd take care of things. As they walked, Lily caught her up to speed. "Two operatives based in London," Lily explained. "They travel over to Dalian to smuggle some vases. One of them helps himself to something: a little hairpin."

"Worth nine million pounds?" Elizabeth asked skeptically.

"Eddie Van Coon was the thief," Lily said. "He stole the treasure when he was in China."

"How d'you know it was Van Coon and not that other guy…Lukis was his name? Even the killer didn't know who took it."

Lily smiled. "I have my suspicions." She looked round smugly at Elizabeth, who stopped and stared back at her blankly for a moment before following her into the bank.

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Van Coon's P.A., Amanda, was sitting at her desk. She squirted a bit of hand lotion from the pump-action bottle on the desk and rubbed it into her hands. Her phone rang and she picked it up and answered it. "Amanda."

"He bought you a present," Lily said over the phone.

"Oh. Hello."

"A little gift when he came back from China," Lily continued.

"How do you know that?"

Lily walked up from behind her. "You weren't just his P.A., were you?"

Amanda turned in surprise as she walked around to the side of the desk, switching off her phone and putting it back into her pocket. Amanda switched off her own phone and put it down. "Someone's been gossiping."

"No, gossip's stupid," Lily replied.

"Then I don't understand. Why–"

"I can relate, Amanda, I've had plenty of jobs."

Amanda sighed in defeat. "Look, it wasn't serious between us. It was over in a flash. It couldn't last –" she looked down, "he was my boss."

"What happened?" Lily asked. "Why did you end it?"

"I thought he didn't appreciate me," Amanda said sadly. "Took me for granted. Stood me up once too often – we'd plan to go away for the weekend and then he'd just leave; fly off to China at a moment's notice."

Lily smiled slightly. "And he brought you a present from abroad to say sorry." Her gaze focussed on a small green jade hairpin in Amanda's hair. "Can I…just have a look at it?" She held her hand out.

In Sebastian's office, Seb was signing a cheque for £20,000. He looked up at Elizabeth who was standing on the other side of the desk. "He really climbed up onto the balcony?" He put the cheque into an envelope.

"She," Elizabeth corrected. "Nail a plank across the window and all your problems are over." Looking peeved, Sebastian held the envelope out to Elizabeth. "Thanks."

Outside, Amanda was holding her hair in place with one hand while she took out the pin with the other. "Said he bought it in a street market." She put the pin into Lily's outstretched hand.

"Oh, I don't think that's true. I think he pinched it."

"Yeah, that's Eddie," Amanda chuckled ruefully.

"Didn't know its value; just thought it would suit you."

"Oh?" Amanda asked. She leaned forward. "What's it worth?"

Lily smirked and spoke slowly. "Nine…million…pounds."

Amanda's face filled with shock. "Oh my goodness!" She stumbled to her feet and staggered backwards as Lily grinned. "Oh my good…" She turned and ran away. "Nine million!" she said, high-pitched and hysterical.

In Sebastian's office, Elizabeth turned her head at the sound of Amanda's voice, then turned back and nodded to Sebastian before leaving the room.

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The next morning, the Golden Trio was sitting at the dining table. Parker was looking at the front page of the Sunday Express, where the headline read, "Who wants to be a million-hair". She folded the paper in half, put it down and picked up another newspaper. She sighed. "Over a thousand years old and it's sitting on her bedside table every night."

"He didn't know its value;" Lily said, "didn't know why they were chasing him."

Parker smirked. "Hmm. Should've just got her a lucky cat."

Lily smiled at her briefly, then looked away. "Hmm."

Her gaze became distant. Elizabeth looked at her closely. "You mind, don't you?"

Lily looked at her. "What?"

"That that lady escaped – General Shan. It's not enough that we got her two henchmen."

"It must be a vast network, Elizabeth; thousands of operatives. Parker and I, we barely scratched the surface.

"You cracked the code, though, Lily;" Parker insisted, "and maybe Dimmock can track down all of them now that he knows it."

"No. No. I cracked this code; all the smugglers have to do is pick up another book."

Lily opened the newspaper Parker set down and lifted it, beginning to read. Parker's eyes drifted over the paper in her hands and to the window, and she frowned and looked closely as a young man in a hooded jacket and wearing a cap walked over to a tall black box on the other side of the road which dispensed parking permits. Putting a bag on the ground, the young man looked around in all directions to make sure he was not being watched, then lifted a spray can in his right hand and sprayed his tag on the back of the box. Parker watched as the 'artist' finished the tag, picked up his bag, and hurried away. As Lily, oblivious to this, continued to read her paper, Parker looked thoughtful, and a police car siren turned on as it made its way down the road.

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Shan sat at a desk and was talking to someone over a computer. Her live image was being transmitted to the other person but the space on the screen which should be showing the face of whoever she was talking to was marked "No image available." There was also a text box on the screen which showed that the person to whom she was talking is indicated simply as "M". Shan sounded very humble as she spoke.

"Without you – without your assistance – we would not have found passage into London. You have my thanks." The other person's response appeared typed on the screen:

M: GRATITUDE IS MEANINGLESS  
M: IT IS ONLY THE EXPECTATION OF FURTHER FAVOURS

The computer beeped to indicate that the message had finished. "We did not anticipate…we did not know this group would come…This Golden Trio." Her face filled with concern. "And now your safety is compromised."

The computer beeped and new text appeared:

M: THEY CANNOT TRACE THIS BACK TO ME

The computer beeped.

"I will not reveal your identity," Shan said sincerely.

The computer beeped.

M: I AM CERTAIN.

The computer beeped. Unseen by Shan, the red light of a rifle's laser sight appeared in the centre of her forehead. A single gunshot rang out as a bullet smashed through the window opposite en route to its target.


	9. Chapter 9

9: The Great Game – Part I

**TADA! Off to The Great Game we go! :D**

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Thank you! I actually haven't seen Empty Hearst…I don't have TV so I have to wait until it becomes available in some other way *grumbles* But from what I can gather from it, I have come up with lots of ideas. Thanks again!**

**SouffleGirl - It was a very fun chapter to write because I got to change a lot of it and it involved John. :D I love John!**

**Noodle Fanatic - I'd imagine you hurt…Thanks! Don't cry…Well, if you don't wanna cry you might want to avoid chapter 24…**

**Leftthelibrary - Thanks! I like the title a lot better now :) I'm in debt :)**

**I am The Doctor (guest) - Thank you! :D**

**RunningOut (guest) - Thank you! I'll always add John :3 I love John! *updates***

Two pulsar noises rang out. Lily was lying slumped in her armchair with her head resting on the low back of the chair. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and gazed up towards the ceiling. Downstairs, the front door opened. Lily turned her head to look towards the sofa. She was sprawled low in the chair with her legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. She was wearing sleepwear and a blue dressing gown and her feet were bare. Above the sofa, a smiley face had been spray-painted on the wallpaper using a can of the yellow paint which was so frequently used in the "Blind Banker" case. The can was standing on the coffee table in front of the sofa. As the downstairs door closed again Lily sighed, turns her head to the front again and then raised her left hand, palm out, and used her ice powers to freeze parts of the wall. A there were already two ice patches on the wall where the two eyes had been sprayed, and the two new ice beams had impacted the curve of the smile, ice clinging to the wall. Lily turned her head to look at the face and shot a third ice beam which was deliberately aimed to form a 'nose' for the face. As she fired a fourth time, Elizabeth came running up the stairs with.

She stopped on the landing to yell at her flatmate. "What in the WORLD do you think you're doing?!"

"Bored," Lily said sulkily.

Elizabeth squinted at her in disbelief. "What?"

"Bored!" she said, louder.

She sprung up out of the chair. Elizabeth immediately tried to step forward. "No…!"

Lily switched firing beams with her right hand and turned towards the smiley face, blasting another ice beam at it again. She then swung her arm around her back, twisted slightly to her right, and fired at the wall again from behind her back. "Bored! Bored!" As she brought het arm back around, Elizabeth hurried into the room and Lily continued to glare at the smiley face but allowed Elizabeth to grab her hand and force it to her side. Lily walked towards the sofa. "Don't know what's got into the criminal classes. Good job I'm not one of them."

Elizabeth plopped down into am armchair and glanced over to the smiley face. "So you take it out on the wall?"

Lily ran her fingers along the painted smile. "Ah, the wall had it coming." She turned sideways and dramatically flopped down onto the sofa on her back, her head landing on a cushion at one end and her feet digging into the arm of the sofa at the end nearest the windows.

Elizabeth took off her coat as Parker walked in. "What about that Russian case?" she asked. Parker took a seat in her usual armchair and her eyes widened at the sight of the wall.

Lily pushed with her feet to shove herself further along the sofa and into a slightly more upright position, and then started kneading the arm of the sofa with her toes. "Belarus," Lily mumbled. "Open and shut domestic murder. Not worth my time."

"Ah, shame!" Elizabeth said sarcastically.

Parker got up and walked into the kitchen and threw her arms up in despair at the mess on the table which greeted her. She headed towards the fridge. "Anything in? I'm starving." She opened the fridge door. "Oh cr–" She immediately slammed the door shut again, unable to believe what she just saw inside. She slumped against the door for a moment, her head lowered, then she straightened up and opened the fridge door again. On the shelf inside was a man's head, cut off at the neck. Parker stared at it for a couple of seconds, then quietly closed the door again. "It's a head," she said softly. She turned and called out. "A severed head!"

"What?!" Elizabeth yelled.

"Just tea for me, thanks," Lily said.

Parker walked back into the living room. "No, there's a head in the fridge."

"Yes," Lily said calmly.

"A bloody head!"

"Well, where else was I supposed to put it?"

Elizabeth stared wide-eyed at Lily. "Wait, there really is a head in the fridge?"

Lily looked around at her friends. "You guys don't mind, do you?"

Elizabeth sighed and stepped out of the room. "I'll be back later, I don't know if I can stand another second of this!" Parker held her hands out despairingly and looked back towards the fridge as Elizabeth exited the flat. "I got it from Bart's morgue," Lily informed. Parker buried her head in one hand. "I'm measuring the coagulation of saliva after death." Lily waved her hand vaguely in the direction of a nearby laptop. "I see you've written up the taxi driver case, Parker."

Parker threw one last glance at the fridge. "Uh, yes." She walked over to Lily's armchair and sat down.

"'A Study in Pink.' Nice."

Parker shrugged. "Well, you know, pink lady, pink case, pink phone – there was a lot of pink. Did you like it?"

Even as Parker had been speaking, Lily had picked up a magazine from the coffee table and she flipped it open and addressed her answer to the pages. "Erm, no."

"Why not?"

"It's stupid!" Lily said, sitting up.

"Stupid?"

"Pink is stupid! Put that in your blog. Or better still, stop inflicting your opinions on the world!" Petulantly shoving the magazine across the coffee table, she lied down on the sofa again, turning over with her back to Parker and pulling her dressing gown around her while curling up into a ball. Parker looked away and pursed her lips. The front door downstairs opened and closed. Parker stood up and walked towards the living room door. Lily looked over her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

Parker put her sweater on. "Out," she said tightly. "I need some air." She headed for the stairs, which Mrs. Coleman was just coming up. "'Scuse me."

"Oh, sorry, sweetie!" Mrs. Coleman said, moving out of the way.

"Sorry."

Angry, abandoned by her friends, Lily turned her face away again, pulling the cushion under her head nearer to the back of the sofa and curling up even tighter. Mrs. Coleman chuckled at Parker as she passed her but then turned and looked at her in concern as she hurried down the stairs. She came to the living room door and knocked. "Ooh-ooh!" Lily stretched her legs out straight and turned her head enough to acknowledge her existence, but then looked away again. Mrs. Coleman carried a couple of shopping bags into the kitchen. "Did the three of you have another argument?"

Flailing to get herself upright, Lily stood up off the sofa and took the shortest route to her destination, walking over the coffee table and going to the left-hand window just as the downstairs door opened and closed. "Ooh, it's a bit nippy out there," Mrs. Coleman commented. "She should have wrapped herself up a bit more."

Lily watched as Parker crossed the street and headed in the general direction of away. "Look at that, Mrs. Coleman." She scanned the street. "Quiet, calm, peaceful." She grimaced and dragged in a long breath. "Isn't it dreadful?" Mrs. Coleman unloaded some items from her shopping bags and brandished a receipt at Lily before putting it down on the kitchen table.

"Oh, I'm sure something'll turn up, Lily. A nice murder – that'll cheer you up." She chuckled slightly as she carried her bags towards the living room door. Lily sighed wistfully. Mrs. Coleman stopped as she spotted the ice on the wall. "Hey. What've you done to my bloody wall?!" Lily quirked a smile and turned around to admire her handiwork. "I'm putting this on your rent, young lady!"

She stormed off down the stairs. Lily grinned over-dramatically at the ice-riddled smiley face, then sighed and turned her head to the front just as a massive explosion went off in the street behind her. The windows blew in and the blast hurled her forward and to the floor. She groaned in pain.

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Parker groaned, waking up the next morning in the living room of John and Sherlock's flat. Sitting up on the sofa, she grimaced and trying to un-crick her neck. John walked in. "Oh, morning!" he said.

"Mor–" she turned to look at him but grimaced again and grabbed at her neck in pain. "Morning."

"You should've gone with the lilo," John said.

Parker continued rubbing her neck. "No, no, no, it's fine. I-I slept fine. It's very kind of you."

John picked up the remote control for the TV, from the coffee table then sat on the arm of the sofa and turned the telly on. "Maybe next time you can take my bed." Parker smiled a little bit.

Sherlock's annoyed sigh could be heard from the kitchen. "Oh, gosh…" John and Parker could almost hear his eye roll. Parker looked back at John and grinned briefly. John turned his head towards her but didn't meet her eyes.

"Experts are hailing it as the artistic find of the century," the news reporter on the screen said. The news item was showing a photo of the Hickman Art Gallery, with a headline at the bottom of the screen saying 'The Lost Vermeer'. "The last time…"

John put the remote down. "So, d'you want to go out breakfast?"

"Love some, yes please."

"Yeah, we'll get it in about a half hour. I need to do something really quick."

The news reporter continued. "…it fetched over twenty million pounds." Parker watched as John smiled at her before leaving the room. She chuckled silently and could almost hear Sherlock roll his eyes again. In a way, because of her telepathy, she could. "…This one is anticipated to do even better. Back now to our main story. There's been a massive explosion in central London." Parker looked at the TV screen and her face filled with shock as the picture changed to show live footage of a road where brickwork was scattered all over the pavement, and police cordons had been set up to keep people out. The headline at the bottom of the screen read, 'House destroyed on Kaber St'. "…As yet, there are no reports of any casualties, and the police are unable to say if there is any suspicion of terrorist involvement."

Parker was already on her feet and she hurried around the sofa to grab her sweater before turning towards the kitchen. "Sherlock, would you mind telling John I had to go?" She stopped and looked at the TV screen briefly.

"…Police have issued an emergency number for friends and relatives…"

"I have to go!" She headed towards the front door, not even waiting for Sherlock to reply to her – not that he would.

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Parker came around the corner of the street almost opposite the flat, then stopped briefly and stared. Continuing onwards, she headed towards the police cordon and made her way through the small crowd of gawking onlookers. "'Scuse me, can I get through? 'Scuse me." She approached one of the police officers who was stopping the crowd from getting closer. "Can I go through?" She pointed towards 313 and the police officer let her through. Parker walked into the main scene of devastation where bricks and dust were scattered all over the road and pavement. A fire engine was still on the scene and fire hoses were lying in the road waiting to be reeled back in. The windows and shop fronts of the buildings either side of Swift's – the café – had been boarded up; Swift's itself was protected by its metal roll-down screen. Parker stopped and stared at the building directly opposite the café. The front of the ground and first floor has been completely blown out by the explosion and the rooms inside were exposed to the air. Parker turned and hurried towards 313, where the first floor windows had also been boarded up. A police officer standing outside Swift's moved to intercept her but Parker quickly explained. "I live over there." The officer stepped aside and Parker unlocked the door and went inside. She raced up the stairs. "Lily! Elizabeth!"

As she hurried into the living room, her eyes were drawn to the boarded-up windows, then to her armchair, but her gaze quickly turned to Elizabeth's chair where Elizabeth, apparently uninjured, was intermittently plucking the strings of the violin she was holding. She was glaring petulantly towards Parker's chair. Her brother – Grant – was sitting in it. Parker saw Lily sitting at the table and a fourth person caught her eye.

Parker gaped at the fourth figure sitting on the sofa. Her older brother, Wesley, was looking up at her. He smiled in relief. "Good, you're okay." Parker blinked.

"W…wait…huh? What're you doing here?"

Wesley quirked an eyebrow. "I'm here with Grant about a case of course."

Lily looked around at the mess of broken glass and scattered paperwork as if she had forgotten it. "Don't worry," she said, "we're fine. Gas leak, apparently."

She turned her attention back to Elizabeth's brother, who stared at him pointedly as Elizabeth plucked the violin strings again. "We can't," Elizabeth said.

"Can't?" Grant asked.

"The stuff we've got on is just too big. I can't spare the time." Parker looked across to her in disbelief.

"Never mind your usual trivia. This is of national importance," Grant insisted.

Elizabeth sulkily flicked her fingers across the strings. "How's the diet?" she asked, purposely being annoying.

Grant refused to rise to the implied insult. "Fine. Perhaps you can get through to her, Parker. Lily wants nothing in it either."

Parker walked nearer to the windows to investigate the damage. "What?"

Grant sighed. "I'm afraid my sister can be very intransigent."

"If you're so keen, why don't you and Wesley investigate it?"

"No-no-no-no-no. I can't possibly be away from the office for any length of time – not with the Korean elections so–" He stopped abruptly as Parker turned towards him and her brother in surprise and Elizabeth raised her head from looking at the violin. Lily quirked an eyebrow. "Well, you don't need to know about that, do you?" He smiled humourlessly in a clear message to forget what he just said. "Besides, a case like this – it requires…" he grimaced in distaste, "…legwork."

Elizabeth stopped mid-pluck of one of the strings, an irritated look on her face. "You have Wesley." She turned to Parker, who was absentmindedly rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. "How's John, Parker? How was the lilo?"

Grant consulted his pocket watch and didn't even looked at Parker. "Sofa, Elizabeth. It was the sofa." Elizabeth briefly looked Parker up and down.

"Oh yes, right."

"How…?" Parker began incredulously. "Oh, never mind." She sat down on the coffee table.

Wesley was a bit confused. "Couch? Lilo? What?"

Lily smirked at Parker. "Go on. Tell him about your new boyfriend. You know, the one you got kidnapped with."

Wesley gaped. Grant smiled across at Parker. "The Dynamic Duo's business seems to be booming since you and gotten back with the rest the Golden Trio." Grant turned to Parker. "What're they like to live with? Crazy, I imagine."

"I'm never bored."

Grant smiled condescendingly. "Good! That's good, isn't it?" Again Elizabeth glared at him. Grant stood up as Elizabeth picked up the bow and whipped one end through the air in front of her. Picking up a folder which he had put on the table beside him, Grant stepped forward and offered the folder to his sister but Elizabeth just looked back at him stubbornly. Grimacing and poking his tongue into the corner of his mouth, Grant glanced at Lily who glared at him. He sighed and turned and offered the folder to Parker instead. "Andrew West, known as Westie to his friends." Looking a bit startled, Parker took the folder. "A civil servant, found dead on the tracks at Battersea Station this morning with his head smashed in."

Parker shrugged. "Jumped in front of a train?"

"Seems the logical assumption."

Parker quirked a brief smile. "But…?" she wondered.

"But?" Grant asked.

"Well," Parker said, "you wouldn't be here if it was just an accident."

Elizabeth, who was applying rosin to the bow with a small cloth, smirked noisily. "The M.O.D. is working on a new missile defence system." Grant continued, "The Bruce-Partington Programme, it's called." He looked at Elizabeth and Lily as Parker started flicking through the folder. "The plans for it were on a memory stick."

Parker sniggered quietly. "That wasn't very clever." Elizabeth smiled in agreement.

"It's not the only copy."

"…Oh."

"But it is secret," Grant said. "And missing."

"Top secret?"

"Very," said Grant seriously. "We think West must have taken the memory stick. We can't possibly risk it falling into the wrong hands." He turned back to his sister. "You've got to find those plans, Elizabeth. Don't make me order you."

Breathing in sharply through her nose, Elizabeth raised the violin to her shoulder, ready to play. She looked calmly at her brother. "I'd like to see you try," she muttered.

Grant leaned down to her a little in an attempt to look more threatening. "Think it over." Elizabeth stared back at him, unimpressed. Grant turned and glanced at Lily who had the same expression as Elizabeth. Grant walked over to Parker, offering her his hand to shake. "Goodbye, Marie." Politely, Parker stood as she shook his hand. Grant smiled at her. "See you very soon."

Parker tried not to look nervous. As Grant heads back towards the chair to pick up his coat, Elizabeth began to repeatedly play a short irritating sequence of notes. Parker frowned across to her but Elizabeth continues to play until Grant had left the room and was on the stairs. Wesley turned to his sister and smiled. "Good to see you again, Marie." Parker smiled genuinely and hugged her brother before he left also.

Grimacing in the direction of her brother's back, Elizabeth finished her playing and lowered the violin, still looking annoyed. Parker walked over and nonchalantly snatched the violin from Elizabeth's grasp. "Gimme my violin," she said, putting it in its case. She sat back down on the coffee table and waited until the two men had reached the ground floor and were out of earshot before she spoke. "Why'd you lie?" Elizabeth looked across to her as the front door banged shut. "We've got nothing on – not a single case. Why did you tell your brother you were busy?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Oh!" Parker nodded. "Oh, I see." Elizabeth's eyes drifted in her direction but she didn't actually look at her. "Sibling rivalry."

Elizabeth turned and opened her mouth but before she could deny everything her phone started to ring. She fished her phone out of her pocket. "Elizabeth Pennies." She listened for a moment, then her expression intensified. "We're on our way." Standing up and switching off the phone she headed for the door. "Lestrade. We've been summoned."

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The girls arrived at Scotland Yard and were following Detective Inspector Lestrade across the general office as he led them towards his office. "That explosion–"

"Gas leak, yes?" Lily finished.

"No."

"No?" Elizabeth wondered.

"No," Lestrade repeated. "Made to look like one."

"What?" asked Parker, confused.

They entered Lestrade's office and Elizabeth stopped and stared down at a white envelope lying on the desk. "Hardly anything left of the place except a strong box – a very strong box and inside it was this."

He pointed to what Elizabeth was looking at. "You haven't opened it?" Lily wondered.

Lestrade shrugged. "It's addressed to you three, isn't it? Or at least, we think so." Elizabeth reached towards the envelope. "We've X-rayed it. It's not booby-trapped."

"How reassuring," Lily sighed sarcastically. Elizabeth picked up the envelope and took it across the room to another table which has an anglepoise lamp on it. Holding the envelope up close to the bulb she examined both sides carefully. On the front in elegant handwriting are the words 'Golden Trio'.

"Any fingerprints?" asked Elizabeth.

"No."

Lily stepped over and looked closely at the writing. "They used a fountain pen. A Parker Duofold – iridium nib." She glanced at Parker with a grin, finding the pen name funny.

"Another lesson from your 'many jobs'?" Parker asked. Elizabeth picked up a letter opener from the desk and carefully slit the envelope open. She looked inside and her mouth opened a little in surprise as she reached in and took out an iPhone in a pink case.

Parker was shocked. "But that's – that's the phone, the pink phone."

"What, from the Study in Pink?" Lestrade asked.

"Well," said Lily, taking the phone from Elizabeth, "it's clearly it's not the same phone but it's supposed to look like–" She stopped as she realised what Lestrade had just said. She turned to face him. Sally had come into the room to put some files down on a desk near the door. "The Study in Pink? You read her blog?"

Lestrade shrugged. "Course I read her blog! We all do. Did you really attempt to steal her gun to shoot the karaoke machine?"

Sally sniggered loudly. Lily, who was taking off her gloves, glared at her as Parker pursed her lips in embarrassment. Sally left the room and Lily turned her concentration back to the phone. "It isn't the same phone," Lily continued. "This one's brand new. Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to make it look like the same phone, which means your blog has a far wider readership." She threw an accusatory look at Parker, who did her best to ignore it. Lily switched the phone on and immediately got a voice alert.

"You have one new message."

The message played but there was no voice – just the unmistakeable sound of the Greenwich Time Signal. However, while the 'Greenwich pips' – as they're more generally called – consisted of five short pips and one longer tone, this recording had only four short pips and the longer one.

"Is that it?" Parker asked.

Elizabeth took the phone. "No. That's not it." A photograph had also been uploaded to the phone. She opened it and Lestrade came across to look over her shoulder. The picture was of an unfurnished room with a fireplace on one wall. The wallpaper was peeling and there was a tall mirror propped up in one corner. A smaller mirror – the type which was usually hung up above a fireplace – was standing on the mantelpiece. "What the blazes are we supposed to make of that?" Lestrade asked. "An estate agent's photo and the bloody Greenwich pips!"

Elizabeth gazed thoughtfully into the distance. "It's a warning."

"A warning?" Parker wondered.

"Some secret societies used to send dried melon seeds, orange pips, things like that. Five pips. They're warning us it's gonna happen again."

Lily took the phone back, briefly looked down at the photo again, then brandished the phone at the others as she started to leave the office. "I've seen this place before." Elizabeth went out of this office after her friend.

"H-hang on," said Parker following after them. "What's gonna happen again?"

Lily turned back and raised her hands dramatically. "Boom!" She headed off with Elizabeth and Parker behind her. Lestrade grabbed his coat and hurried after them.

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A taxi pulled up outside 313 and Elizabeth, Lily, Parker, and Lestrade got out. Lily unlocked the front door and led the way inside, bypassing the stairs and heading along the corridor towards Mrs. Coleman's front door. Just as she reached it she stopped and turned to the left where there was another door which led to a basement flat. Numbers and letters stuck on the door read, '313H'. Lily turned her head and called out loudly towards her landlady's front door. "Mrs. Coleman!"

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Shortly afterwards, Mrs. Coleman opened the front door of 313H and handed Lily a set of keys. Lily took the keys and began to unlock it. "You had a look, didn't you, Lily," Mrs. Coleman said, "when you first came to see about your flat."

Elizabeth looked closely at the door's keyhole. "The door's been opened recently."

"No, can't be. That's the only key." Pulling the padlock off, Lily selected another key and put it into the keyhole. "I can't get anyone interested in this flat. It's the damp, I expect. That's the curse of basements." Lily turned the key and pulled the door open. She immediately went inside and Parker and Elizabeth and Lestrade followed, taking notice of Mrs. Coleman as she continued rambling on. "I had a place once when I was first married. Black mould all up the walls…" She trailed to a halt as Lestrade closed the door behind him. She turned and headed back into her own flat. "Oh…"

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lily slowly pushed open the door to the living room and walked inside, followed by the other two. The room looked exactly as it did in the photograph on the phone with one exception: there was a pair of trainers placed neatly in the middle of the floor, their toes pointed towards the door. Parker stopped and looked at them before stating the obvious. "Shoes."

Elizabeth started to walk towards them but Lily held out a cautionary hand towards her. He's a bomber, remember." Elizabeth stopped for a moment, then continued slowly towards the trainers. She crouched down, then put her hands on the floor and leaned forward. Lowering her body down, she moved closer to the shoes and, just as her nose was almost touching them, a phone rang. Elizabeth jumped, closed her eyes momentarily and then stood up.

Lily pulled off her glove and took the pink iPhone from her coat pocket and looks at the caller I.D. It read, 'NUMBER BLOCKED'. She paused for a second, then answered the phone softly. "Hello?"

A female voice drew in a shaky breath before speaking tearfully. "H-Hello…fellas…" The Golden Trio and Lestrade exchanged puzzled looks with each other as the woman sobbed.

"Who's this?" Lily asked.

The woman's voice was tearful. "I've…sent you three…a little puzzle…just to say…hi."

Elizabeth stepped forward. "Who's talking? Why are you crying?"

"I-I'm not…crying…" the woman's voice was shaky and full of tears, "I'm typing…and this…idiot…is reading it out." She sobbed again. Lily and Elizabeth stared at each other. "Twelve hours to solve…my puzzle, Golden Trio…or I'm going…to be…so naughty." The phone went dead.

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Lily sat at a bench looking into a microscope as, beside her, a computer screen showed that a scanner of some sort was running tests. Parker was wandering up and down on the other side of the bench. Elizabeth sat at the end of the table, writing notes down. "So," Parker said, "who d'you suppose it was?"

A phone trilled a text alert. "Hmm?" Lily wondered absently, not reacting to the alert.

"The woman on the phone," Parker clarified, "the crying woman."

"Hostage," she answered simply. She glanced across to the scanner as it continued throwing up "NO MATCH" results, then looked back into the microscope.

"Are-are they trying to trace it," Parker asked, "trace the call?"

Elizabeth shook her head when Lily gave no response. "The bomber's too smart for that."

The same phone as before trilled another text alert. "Pass me my phone," Lily said. Elizabeth and Parker looked around the room.

"Where is it?" Parker asked.

"Jacket."

Parker straightened up slowly, her entire body going rigid in disbelief and her eyes broadcasting the message 'I am going to kill her.' Elizabeth looked up, confused and somewhat wide-eyed. Turning to her right, Parker marched stiffly around the table, slammed one hand onto Lily's shoulder and roughly pulled her jacket open with the other as she started to rummage in her inside pocket.

"Careful!" Lily said angrily, still not looking up.

Parker just about held onto her temper and pulled the phone out and looked at it. "Text from Grant. Wait, why is he texting you and not Liz?"

"I've been ignoring him," Elizabeth said, not looking at Parker.

"Delete it," Lily ordered.

"Delete it?"

"Missile plans are out of the country now," Elizabeth said. "Nothing we can do about it."

Parker looked at the message again, which read:

RE: BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS  
Any progress on Andrew  
West's death?  
Grant Pennies

"Well, Grant and Wesley thinks there is. Grant's texted you eight times. Must be important."

Elizabeth raised her head in exasperation. "Then why didn't he cancel his dental appointment?" she asked from her spot at the table.

Parker sighed tiredly, raising an eyebrow. "His what?"

"Grant never texts if he can talk. Look, Andrew West stole the missile plans, tried to sell them, got his head smashed in for his pains. End of story." Elizabeth looked back at her notes again.

Parker switched the phone off and looked between the two. "Try and remember there's a woman here who might die."

The computer beeped a result. "Ah!" Lily said excitedly. She looked across to the screen which was flashing "SEARCH COMPLETE". At the same moment Molly Hooper came in through the door.

"Oh," she said, looking at Parker. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, not at all!" Parker looked at Lily and Elizabeth and gestured to Molly. "Guys, this is Molly Hooper. Friend of mine."

Lily was confused. "Wait, you have other friends?" Parker shot her a quick, dark look.

As Molly came over to the others, a man in his thirties, wearing slacks and a T-shirt, came in the door and then stopped apologetically. "Oh, sorry. I didn't…"

"Jim!" Molly said. "Hi!" Jim made as if to leave the room but Molly stopped him. "Come in! Come in!" Molly made introductions as Jim closed the door and walked over to her. "Jim, this is a good friend of mine, Doctor Marie Kiehof." Parker smiled and Molly turned towards the others. "And…um, sorry–"

"Oh!" Parker said. "'Course. Lily Falda, and Elizabeth Pennies. Friends and flatmates."

Jim walked forward. "So you guys are that detective agency on Kaber Street, right?" he said. He smiled. "Love the blog, Doctor Kiehof."

"Jim works in I.T. upstairs," Molly said. "That's how we met. Office romance." She and Jim giggled.

Lily smirked and looked over at Parker. "I'm sure Parker can relate." Parker rolled her eyes at Crystal

"Well, I'd better be off," Jim said. He turned to Molly. "I'll see you at the Fox, 'bout six-ish?"

"Yeah!" Molly said with a grin.

He stopped beside her, putting a hand on her back, and looked back towards the others. "Bye."

"Bye," Molly said softly.

"It was nice to meet you three."

Parker nodded and Elizabeth smiled. "You too," Liz said. Jim looked around one last time before leaving with Molly following.

Elizabeth reached over and picked up a slip of paper Jim had discretely put down next to Parker. She flipped it over and her face fell. "What?" Parker asked.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Jim's cheating on Molly."

"What?!" said Parker in shock.

Elizabeth showed her the paper. "Phone number." She shook her head and sat it back down where she found it. Parker frowned at it. Elizabeth stood up and clapped her hands together, rubbing them for a moment. "Alright, let's see what we can get out of these shoes." She walked over to Lily and the shoes. Parker also crowded around. Elizabeth picked them up. "Well…they're in good nick. I'd say they were pretty new…except the sole has been well-worn, so the owner must have had them for a while."

Lily looked over them. "Hey, I remember when these came out; I remember this style. Fourteen years ago. They're quite big," said Lily, "so a man's."

Parker pointed to the inside of the shoe. "But they're traces of a name written in there. Adults don't write their name in shoes."

Elizabeth nodded. "Child's then. The owner loved these. Scrubbed them clean, whitened them where they got discoloured. Changed the laces three…no, four times."

"There are traces of his flaky skin where his fingers have come into contact with them," Parker said, "so he suffered from eczema."

"Shoes are well-worn," Elizabeth jumped in, "more so on the inside, which means the owner had weak arches. British-made, like you said, Lily, fourteen years old."

Lily looked at the trainer thoughtfully. "Someone's kept them looking new. Quite a bit of mud caked on the soles. Analysis shows it's from Sussex, with London mud overlaying it. South of the river, too. So, the kid who owned these trainers came to London from Sussex twenty years ago and left them behind."

"Well what happened to him?" Parker wondered.

"Something bad," Elizabeth muttered. She looked up at Parker. "He loved those shoes. He'd never leave them filthy. Wouldn't leave them go unless he had to. So: a child with big feet gets–" She stopped short and looked over at Lily with wide eyes. "Oh…"

Parker looked back and forth between the two. "What? What is it?"

"Arlo Brown," Elizabeth whispered.

"It's where we left off…" Lily finished quietly.

**Review please! :D**


	10. Chapter 10

10: The Great Game – Part II

**HAHA! I saw the Empty Hearse! :D I'm working on the re-write now! :D**

**Noodle Fanatic - Erm…Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey…Stuff. Their entire plot still exists because our paths will cross.**

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Thank you! I actually went back and watched some episodes and just imagined it with the Golden Trio instead :) Your welcome (thank you copy and paste!)**

The girls were in the back of a taxi on their way back to Kaber Street. "Nineteen ninety-nine," Elizabeth said, "a young kid – champion swimmer – came up from Brighton for a school sports tournament; drowned in the pool. Tragic accident." She showed Parker the front page of a newspaper on her phone. "You wouldn't remember it. Why should you?"

"But you two remember," Parker said, looking back and forth between her friends.

"Yes," Lily said.

"Something fishy about it?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Nobody thought so – nobody except Lily and I. It was a little less than a year after you were injured in the doombot invasion. We still wanted to be heroes, but we didn't want to do it without you."

"Thanks," Parker said.

"So we did it in secret. The boy," Lily said, "Arlo Brown, had some kind of fit in the water, but by the time they got him out it was too late. But there was something wrong; something we just couldn't leave alone; get out of our heads."

"What?"

"His shoes."

What about them?"

"They weren't there," Elizabeth said. "We made a fuss; even tried to get the police interested, but nobody seemed to think it was important. He'd left all the rest of his clothes in his locker, but there was no sign of his shoes…" She leaned down and picked up a bag containing the trainers. "…until now."

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Lily and Elizabeth had shut herself in the kitchen and they were sitting at the table with the trainers nearby – still in the bag – while they looked through photographs and printouts of newspaper reports of Arlo Brown's death from 1999. In the living room, on the other side of the closed doors, Parker was pacing back and forth and finally stopped and slid one of the doors open. "Can I help?" she asked. Neither Lily nor Elizabeth reacted to her at all. "I want to help. There's only five hours left." Her phone sounded a text alert. She got the phone from her trouser pocket and looked at the message. It read:

_Any developments?  
Elizabeth hasn't  
responded to  
Grant.  
Wesley_

"It's my brother. He's texting me now because you've been ignoring your own brother."

"Grant must have gotten a root canal," Elizabeth said thoughtfully. Lily smirked.

Putting her phone away, Parker came into the kitchen. "Look, they did say 'national importance'."

Lily snorted, not looking up from her research. "How quaint," she said.

"What is?" asked Parker.

"You are. Queen and country."

"You guys can't just ignore it," Parker said sternly.

"We aren't ignoring it. Putting someone onto it right now."

"Right. Good," said Parker. She glanced at Elizabeth. She folded her arms and nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Lily in puzzlement. "Who's that?"

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Parker, wearing a skirt and a nice shirt, was sitting in a chair opposite a desk in a large, rather intimidating office. She looked anxiously at her watch. The door opened and Wesley walked in, reading a report. "Marie. Good to see you again. I was hoping you wouldn't be long." Parker stood up as Wesley walked across to the desk, still looking at the report. "How can I help you?" He walked straight past Parker and put the report down on the desk, imperiously waving a hand in Parker's direction to signify that she can sit down again.

Parker sat down once more. "Um, well, I was wanting to…Well I was originally here to collect more facts about the stolen plans, the missile plans."

Wesley looked over his shoulder and smiles at his sister. "But?"

Parker shuffled in her seat. "Well I want to know how you got such a high place in the British government." She smiled back a little nervously as Wesley turned towards her and leaned back against the desk.

"First let's talk about the missile plans, sister of mine."

Parker nodded. "I'm not really that good of a detective, but Elizabeth and Lily are investigating now. They're, er, investigating away." Wesley smiled as if he didn't believe a word of it. "Um, I just wondered what else you can tell me about the dead man."

Wesley gave a curt nod. "Uh, twenty-seven; a clerk at Vauxhall Cross – er, MI6. He was involved in the Bruce-Partington Programme in a minor capacity. Security checks A-OK; no known terrorist affiliations or sympathies. Last seen by his fiancée at ten thirty yesterday evening."

Parker nodded. "Right. He was found at Battersea, yes? So he got on the train."

"No."

"What?"

"He had an Oyster card…but it hadn't been used."

Parker shrugged. "Must have bought a ticket."

Wesley sighed. "There was no ticket on the body."

"Then…" Parker trailed off.

"Then how did he end up with a bashed-in brain on the tracks at Battersea? That is the question – the one I was rather hoping the Duo Detective Agency – which I hear is changing it's name to the Golden Trio Private Detectives – would provide an answer to. How're they getting on?"

Parker looked up. "They-they're fine, yes. Oh, and-and it is going…very well. It's, um, you know – they're completely focussed on it." She grinned at her brother unconvincingly.

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Lily and Elizabeth had moved to the side table in the kitchen and Lily was looking into her microscope. Mrs. Coleman came in through the kitchen door with a tray containing a couple of mugs. As she put them on the kitchen table, Lily looked up. "Poison," she said quietly.

"What you going on about?" Mrs. Coleman asked.

Lily slammed her hands down on the side table. "Clostridium botulinum!" Elizabeth looked over. Mrs. Coleman cringed and fled the kitchen. Lily looked between Parker as she entered in from the living room and Elizabeth. "It's one of the deadliest poisons on the planet!" Parker looked at her blankly. "Arlo Brown!"

Elizabeth held up a finger. "Oh, wait, are you saying he was murdered?" Lily stood up and walked over to where she had hung up the laces from the trainers.

"Remember the shoelaces?" Lily asked.

"Mmm," Parker answered.

"You said the boy suffered from eczema. It'd be the easiest thing in the world to introduce the poison into his medication. Two hours later he comes up to London, the poison takes effect, paralyses the muscles and he drowns."

"What – how-how come the autopsy didn't pick that up?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's virtually undetectable. Nobody would have been looking for it." She walked around the table to where her computer notebook was lying. The page was open at the Forum of the Duo's website, The Life of a Detective Hero and she began to type into the message box:

_FOUND. Pair of trainers belonging to Arlo Brown (1985-1999)._

Lily straightened up to point to the laces. "But there were still tiny traces of it left inside the trainers from where he put the cream on his feet." She bent down and continued to type:

_Botulinum toxin still present. Apply 313G Kaber St._

She sent the message and straightened up again. "That's why they had to go."

"So…" Elizabeth said, "how do we let the bomber know–"

"Get his attention…" Lily answered.

"Mmm-hmm," Parker said.

Lily looked at her watch. "…stop the clock.

Parker shook her head. "The killer kept the shoes all these years."

"Apparently so," Elizabeth said. She looked at Parker. "Meaning–"

"He's our bomber."

The pink phone rang on the side table. Elizabeth hurried over to it before Lily could and switched it on. "Well done, you three," the woman said. "Come and get me."

Elizabeth spoke loudly and clearly. "Where are you? Tell us where you are."

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The Golden Trio was in Lestrade's office, Elizabeth standing at the window with her hands raised in front of her mouth and her fingers tapping together. Parker was sitting opposite Lestrade at his desk. Lily was leaning against the edge of the desk nonchalantly.

"She lives in Cornwall," Lestrade said. "Two men broke in wearing masks, forced her to drive to the car park and decked her out in enough explosives to take down a house." He looked over at Lily and then to Elizabeth as she walked over to the desk and then to Parker. "Told her to phone you three. She had to read out from this pager." He put the pager onto the desk in front of Parker, who picked it up to look at it.

"And if she deviated by one word," Lily said, "the sniper would set her off."

"Or if we hadn't solved the case," Elizabeth said.

"But what was the point?" Lestrade asked. "Why would anyone do this?"

"It would seem someone got bored," Lily muttered.

Just then the pink phone beeped a message alert. Parker and Elizabeth turned around to Lily as she activated the phone. "You have one new message." As Lily straightened up from Lestrade's desk, the phone sounded the Greenwich pips again, but this time there were three short pips and one long one.

Parker pointed towards the phone. "Four pips."

"First test passed, it would seem," Lily said. "Here's the second." She showed a new photograph to the others. It was a close-up of a car with its driver's door open and the number plate clearly visible. Parker, Elizabeth, and Lestrade got up to take a closer look, and outside in the main office a phone rang.

"It's abandoned, wouldn't you say?" Lily said.

"I'll see if it's been reported," said Lestrade.

As he picked up his phone, Sergeant Donovan came to the office holding another phone. "It's for you three." Elizabeth walked over to the door and took the phone from her. Parker stood up and Lily walked over. They all exchanged glances before heading out into a an empty area of the general office and put the phone on speaker.

"Hello?" Elizabeth answered.

The frightened voice of a young man came over the phone. "It's okay that you've gone to the police," he said tearfully.

"Who is this?" Lily asked. "Is this you again?"

The man merely continued. "But don't rely on them. Clever you, guessing about Arlo Brown. I never liked him." Lily looked around at the others at this. "Arlo laughed at me, so I stopped him laughing."

"And you've stolen another voice, I presume," Elizabeth said.

"This is about you three and me."

"Who are you?" Parker asked. "What's that noise?"

"The sounds of life, Nightingale." The three of them glanced at each other with worried expressions. The bomber knew their secret identities. "But don't worry…I can soon fix that." There was a short pause. "I know who you are. You heroes solved my last puzzle in nine hours. This time you have eight."

"We found it!" Lestrade announced. The phone went dead.

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Close to the river, the police had arrived at a large open space where the car was found. Forensics officers in protective clothing were working on the car as Lestrade led Lily and Elizabeth towards it. Parker and Sally Donovan are walking along behind them.

Lestrade consulted some notes. "The car was hired yesterday morning by an Ian Monkford. Banker of some kind; City boy. Paid in cash." Lily looked closely as they passed a woman talking with a female police officer. "Told his wife he was going away on a business trip, but he never arrived."

As the Duo and Lestrade reached the passenger door of the car, Sally turned to Parker. "You're still hanging around them."

Parker shrugged. "Yeah, well we are good friends."

"You should get a hobby," Donovan suggested. "It's a lot safer."

She went to stand beside Lestrade as Elizabeth leaned into the car to look at a large amount of blood smeared over the island between the two front seats. She opened the glove box. "Before you ask, yes, it's Monkford's blood. The DNA checks out."

Elizabeth found a business card in the glove box and took it out. Closing the lid she straightened up. "No body," Lily said.

"Not yet," Donovan answered.

"Get a sample sent to the lab," Lily said to Lestrade.

Lestrade nodded and Elizabeth and Lily walked away. Lestrade turned to Donovan and looked at her pointedly. She stared back at him indignantly but he held the look and she grunted in exasperation and stomped away.

The Golden Trio walked over to the woman who was talking with the police officer. "Mrs. Monkford?" Lily asked.

She turned to them tearfully. "Yes?" She looked at her, Elizabeth, and Parker and sighed. "Sorry, but I've already spoken with two policemen."

"No," Elizabeth said, "we're not from the police; we're…"

Lily held her hand out to her, her voice tearful and tremulous. "Lily Falda. Very old friend of your husband's. We, um…" As Mrs. Monkford shook her hand, Lily looked down as if fighting back his tears. "…we went to school together."

Mrs. Monkford shook her head. "I'm sorry, who? I don't think he ever mentioned you.

"Oh, he must have," Lily said tearfully. "This is…this is horrible, isn't it?" Elizabeth looked away, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to keep her face neutral. Parker was managing to keep a neutral look but only barely. "I mean, I just can't believe it," Lily said. "I only saw him the other day. Same old Ian – not a care in the world." She smiled tearfully at her.

"Sorry, but my husband has been depressed for months. Who are you?"

Lily continued. "Really strange that he hired a car. Why would he do that? It's a bit suspicious, isn't it?" By now she had tears running down her cheeks.

"No," Mrs. Monkford said, shaking her head, "it isn't. He forgot to renew the tax on the car, that's all."

Lily shrugged. "Oh, well, that was Ian! That was Ian all over!"

"No it wasn't!"

Instantly, Lily's fake persona dropped and she looked at her intensely. "Wasn't it? Interesting."

Lily turned and walked away. Mrs. Monkford glared after her as Lily headed for the police tape with the others following. The female police office went over to her. "Who was I talking to?" Mrs. Monkford asked.

The three of them ducked under the tape. "Why did you lie to her?" Elizabeth asked.

Lily wiped some tears away. "People don't like telling you things, but they love to contradict you. Past tense, did you notice?"

"Sorry," said Parker, "what?"

"I referred to her husband in the past tense. She joined in. Bit premature – they've only just found the car."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "You think she murdered her husband?"

Lily shook her head. "Definitely not. That's not a mistake a murderer would make."

Parker slowly nodded. "I see. No, I don't. What am I seeing?"

As they walked past Donovan, she turned and called out to Parker. "Coin collecting!" she said. "Try coin collecting!"

Parker turned around and gave her an exasperated nod before following Elizabeth and Lily again. "Where now?"

"Janus Cars," Elizabeth answered. She flashed the business card to her friends. "Just found this in the glove compartment."

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The Trio was in the office of the car hire company. Elizabeth and Parker sat on the other side of the desk to the owner, Parker taking notes and Elizabeth looking up information on her phone while Lily looked out into the forecourt. "Can't see how I can help you ladies, the car dealer – Ewert – said.

"Mr. Monkford hired the car from you yesterday," Parker said.

"Yeah. Lovely motor. Mazda RX-8. Wouldn't mind one of them myself!"

Lily walked over to the other side of the desk so that she was standing beside Ewert, then pointed into the forecourt. "Is that one?" she asked. Ewert turned his head to look and Lily immediately looked closely at the side of the man's neck.

"No, they're all Jags. Yeah, I can see you're not a car person, eh? Well, not many woman are."

Lily straightened up as Ewert looked around and smiled at Parker. "But," Elizabeth said, "er, surely you can afford one – a Mazda, I mean?"

"Yeah, it's a fair point. But you know how it is: it's like working in a sweetshop. Once you start picking at the liquorice allsorts, when does it all stop, eh?" He started scratching near the top of his left arm with his right hand. Lily looked at him for a moment, then turned away and headed around the room towards the other side of the desk.

"But you didn't know Mr. Monkford?" Parker asked.

"No, he was just a client. Came in here and hired one of my cars. No idea what happened to him. Poor man."

Lily reached the other side of the desk and stopped. "Nice holiday, Mr. Ewert?" she asked.

"Eh?"

"You've been away, haven't you?"

"Oh, the-the…" He gestured towards his tanned face. "No, it's, er, sunbeds, I'm afraid, yeah. Too busy to get away. My wife would love it, though – bit of sun."

"Have you got any change for the cigarette machine?" Elizabeth and Parker both looked up their friend in shock.

"What?" Ewert asked.

"Yes, Lily," said Elizabeth, "what?"

Lily shrugged. "Well, I noticed one on the way in and I haven't got any change." She offered Ewert a bank note. "I'm gasping."

"Um, well…" He reached into his trouser pocket and took out his wallet. "Hmm." He opened the wallet and looked inside. "No, sorry."

Lily sighed. "Oh well. Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Ewert." She turned and headed for the door. "You've been very helpful. Come on, guys."

They left the office and headed back across the forecourt. "Lily," said Elizabeth, "you don't smoke! What was that all about?"

"I needed to look inside his wallet," she said.

"Why?"

"Mr. Ewert's a liar."

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The three friends sat around in Bart's. Lily had a large drop of blood in a shallow glass dish. Putting it on the desk, she reached into a small bag of equipment, opened a bottle, and siphoned out some liquid with a small dropper. Bending down to the dish, she squeezed out a drop of liquid onto the blood, which started to fizz. As Lily straightened up, the pink phone rang. Everyone turned to look at it. The Caller I.D. read 'BLOCKED'. Lily picked up the phone and answered it, putting it on speaker phone. "Hello?"

"The clue's in the name," the young man said tearfully. "Janus Cars."

"Why would you be giving us a clue?" Elizabeth asked.

"Why does anyone do anything? Because I'm bored. We were made to meet, Golden Trio. I've always wanted to meet the ones who stopped the doombot invasion."

"Then talk to us in your own voice," Parker said quietly.

"Patience." The line went dead. Lily turned off the phone and looked thoughtfully into the distance for a while. Finally she looked down at the fizzing liquid in the dish, then picked up the dish and looked at it more closely. She slowly began to smile.

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At the police car pound, the Trio and Lestrade were standing around Monkford's car. "How much blood was on that seat, would you say?" Elizabeth asked.

"How much?" Lestrade repeated. "About a pint."

"Not 'about'," said Lily. "Exactly a pint. That was their first mistake. The blood's definitely Ian Monkford's but it's been frozen."

"Frozen?"

"Or so my studies say. There are clear signs. I think Ian Monkford gave a pint of his blood some time ago and that's what they spread on the seats."

"Who did?" Parker asked.

"Janus Cars," said Lily. "The clue's in the name."

"…The god with two faces," Elizabeth answered.

"Exactly."

"Mmm," Parker said with a nod.

Lily turned to Lestrade again. "They provide a very special service. If you've got any kind of a problem – money troubles, bad marriage, whatever – Janus Cars will help you disappear. Ian Monkford was up to his eyes in some kind of trouble – financial, at a guess; he's a banker. Couldn't see a way out. But if he were to vanish, if the car he hired was found abandoned with his blood all over the driver's seat."

"So where is he?" Elizabeth asked.

Lily closed the car door. "Columbia," she said simply.

"Columbia?!" Lestrade asked in shock.

"Mr. Ewert of Janus Cars had a twenty thousand Columbian peso note in his wallet. Quite a bit of change, too. He told us he hadn't been abroad recently, but when I asked him about the cars, I could see his tan line clearly. No one wears a shirt on a sunbed. That, plus his arm."

Lestrade raised an eyebrow. "His arm?"

"Kept scratching it. Obviously irritating him, and bleeding. Why? Because he'd recently had a booster jab. Hep-B, probably. I dunno. Conclusion: he'd just come back from settling Ian Monkford into his new life in Columbia. Mrs. Monkford cashes in the life insurance and she splits it with Janus Cars."

"M-Mrs Monkford?" Parker stuttered.

"Oh yes. She's in on it too."

Lestrade lowered his head with a look of amazement on his face. "Now go and arrest them, Inspector," Lily said. "That's what you do best." She turned to the others. "We need to let our friendly bomber know that the case is solved." She turned and led the others away. Lestrade watched them, still reeling at all the information that he has just been given. Lily clenched her fists triumphantly at her sides as she walked on. "I am on fire!"

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Sitting at the living room table in their coats, Lily typed a new message onto The Life of a Detective Hero:

Congratulations to Ian Monkford on his relocation to Columbia.

She sent the message. A few seconds later another 'blocked' phone call came in on the pink phone lying on the table beside the computer. Lily switched the phone on.

"He says you can come and fetch me," the man said. "Help. Help me, please!"

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

The three heroes were sitting at a table in a café the next morning. Parker was tucking into a cooked breakfast and Elizabeth had a mug of tea in front of her while Lily was drumming her fingers impatiently on the table waiting for the pink phone – which was lying on the table – to ring. "Feeling better?" she asked, looking over at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth nodded, taking a gulp of tea. "You realise we've hardly stopped for breath since this thing started?"

Parker raised a hand. "I'm feeling better too if either of you are wondering." She ate another forkful of food, then looked thoughtful. "Has it occurred to you–?"

"Probably," Lily interrupted, looking away.

"You didn't let me finish. Has it occurred to you that the bomber's playing a game with us? The envelope; breaking into the other flat; the dead kid's shoes – it's all meant for us. Especially you two, she said," pointing her fork at Lily and then at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth smiling slightly in a sad sort of way. "Yes, I know. I'm sure Lily knows too."

"Is it him, then? …Moriarty?"

"Perhaps," Lily said quietly. The pink phone beeped a message alert. Lily switched it on and it sounded two short Greenwich pips followed by the longer tone, and a photograph of a smiling middle-aged woman appeared on the screen. "That could be anybody," Lily said, gesturing to the mobile with a look of annoyance.

Elizabeth smirked. "Well, it could be, yeah. Lucky for you, I've had a lot of time on my hands with only writing books."

Lily quirked an eyebrow. "What d'you mean?"

"Lucky for you, Mrs. Coleman and I watch far too much telly." She stood up and walked over to the counter. Smiling at the woman behind the counter, she picked up a remote control and switched on the small television hung on the wall. She switched channels a couple of times until she found what she wanted. The woman from the photograph was on the screen, partway through her make-over show. She was gesturing to someone just offscreen.

"Thank you, Tyra!" the woman said. "Doesn't she look lovely, everybody, now?" The pink phone rang and both Parker and Lily looked at it. "Anyway," the woman on the TV said, "speaking of silk purses and sows' ears…"

Parker picked up the phone before Lily could and answered it. Lily sulked. "Hello?" Parker asked cautiously.

An old woman spoke tremulously in a Yorkshire accent. "This one…is a bit…defective. Sorry. She's blind." Parker looked over at Lily with wide eyes. "This is…a funny one." Elizabeth walked back over to the table. "I'll give you…twelve hours."

Parker glanced at Elizabeth as she sat down again. "Why are you doing this?" Parker asked into the phone.

"I like…to watch you three…dance." Parker lowered the phone and shook her head at the others, then dropped the phone onto the table as she turned to look at the TV. Lily copied her actions.

"…and I see you're back to your bad habits," the woman on the TV said. As the footage continued, a voiceover replaced her voice and a news headline at the bottom of the screen read: Make-over Queen Connie Prince dead at 48.

"…continuing into the sudden death of the popular TV personality, Connie Prince. Miss Prince, famous for her make-over programmes, was found dead two days ago by her brother in the house they shared in Hampstead…"

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Connie Prince's body has been laid out on a table in the morgue, with a sheet covering her and leaving only her arms and upper chest bare. Lestrade led the girls into the room, reading from a file as he went. "Connie Prince, fifty-four. She had one of those make-over shows on the telly. Did you see it?"

"No," said Lily with a shake of her head.

"Very popular. She was going places."

"Not any more. So: dead two days. According to one of her staff, Raoul de Santos, she cut her hand on a rusty nail in the garden. Nasty wound." The Trio gathered round to look at the deep cut in the webbing between her right thumb and index finger. "Tetanus bacteria enters the bloodstream – good night Vienna."

"I suppose," Lestrade said.

"Something's wrong with this picture," Parker said.

"Eh?"

"Can't be as simple as it seems," Parker continued, "otherwise the bomber wouldn't be directing us towards it. Something's wrong." She narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the body, then bent closer to look along Connie's right arm as she borrowed Lily's magnifier. There were several scratches on her upper arm which looked like claw marks. She moves up to her face and noticed some tiny pinpricks on her forehead just above her nose. She looked at them through the magnifier. "The cut on her hand: it's deep; would have bled a lot." Her brows furrowed. "But the wound's clean – very clean, and fresh." She looked up, her eyes flickering as she thought it through, then straightened up and clicks the magnifier closed, handing it back to Lily. "The bacteria would have been incubating inside her eight, maybe ten days." As Parker realised the answer, she quirked a one-sided grin and turned to Elizabeth and Lily. "The cut was made later," Parker said, proud she came to a conclusion.

"After she was dead?" Lestrade asked.

"Must have been. The only question is, how did the tetanus enter the dead woman's system?"

Elizabeth smiled. "We're gonna need Connie Prince's background – family history, everything. We need data." Elizabeth left with Parker following after, grin on her face. Lily looked down at Connie's body one more time, then turned and headed towards the door.

"There's something else that we haven't thought of," Lestrade said.

"Oh, is there?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Lestrade said with a nod. "Why is he doing this, the bomber?" Lily stopped, keeping her back to the inspector and looking a little anxious. "If this woman's death was suspicious, why point it out?" Lily shrugged. She tried to move away but Lestrade persisted. "…who press-gangs suicide bombers?"

Lily shrugged again. "Evil super villain?"

"I'm – I'm serious, Lily. Listen: I'm cutting you slack here; I'm trusting you – but out there somewhere, some poor guy's covered in Semtex and is just waiting for you and your friends to solve the puzzle. So just tell me: what are we dealing with?"

Lily looked away thoughtfully, then smiled a bit. "Something new."

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A long time later, back in the flat, the wall behind the sofa is covered with paperwork: maps, photographs of Connie Prince – both when she was alive and pictures taken in the morgue – photos of Arlo Brown, press cuttings and various sheets of paper with notes scribbled on them. Pieces of string were pinned between some of the exhibits, linking them together. Lily was pacing back and forth in front of the sofa as Lestrade and Parker stood nearby.

"Connection, connection, connection," Lily muttered. "There must be a connection." She stopped and gestured towards various spots on the display on the wall as she spoke. "Arlo Brown, killed fourteen years ago. The bomber knew him; admitted that he knew him. The bomber's iPhone was in stationery from the Czech Republic. First hostage from Cornwall; the second from London; the third from Yorkshire, judging by her accent. What's he doing – working his way round the world? Showing off?" She threw her arms in the air in exasperation.

The pink phone rang. She took it from her pocket and saw that the Caller I.D. again read "NUMBER BLOCKED". She answered, and the old woman began to narrate what was being said into her earpiece. "You guys are enjoying this, aren't you? Joining the…dots." She sobbed. "Three hours: boom…boom." She cried in terror, then the phone went dead. Lily looks at Lestrade for a moment, then glanced at Parker, then switched the phone off, put it back in her pocket and concentrated hard on the wall in front of her.

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In a beautifully and elegantly decorated house belonging to Kenny Prince, a hairless cat meowed as it wandered about on a sofa. Kenny Prince, a man in his late fifties who was wearing a very fancy purple shirt came into the room. Behind him the much younger 'houseboy' Raoul stopped at the doorway and gestured to Elizabeth to go in.

"We're devastated," Kenny said. "Of course we are."

As Elizabeth walked into the living room, Kenny reached the other side of the room and turned back, propping his arm on the mantelpiece. Looking a little uncomfortable, Elizabeth sat down on the sofa beside the cat. "Can I get you anything, ma'am?" Raoul asked.

"Er, no. No, thanks."

Raoul looked across the room to Kenny, who smiled at him. Raoul returned the smile, then turned and left the room. "Raoul is my rock," Kenny said. "I don't think I could have managed." He looked down sadly. "We didn't always see eye to eye, but my sister was very dear to me."

The cat climbed onto Elizabeth's lap and meowed loudly in protest as she picked it up and put it down beside her. "And – and to the public, Mr. Prince."

"Oh, she was adored. I've seen her take girls who looked like the back end of Routemasters and turn them into princesses." Elizabeth looked down in frustration as the cat climbed into her lap again. "Still, it's a relief in a way to know that she's beyond this veil of tears."

Elizabeth was nervously holding the cat as it purred contentedly on her lap. "Absolutely," she said a bit awkwardly.

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Mrs Hudson had joined Lily, Parker, and Lestrade and was standing between Lily and Lestrade while Parker stood next to Lily. They all faced the paper-covered wall. Lily was talking into her phone. "Great. …Thank you. Thanks again." She turned and walked towards the fireplace, still talking into the phone.

Mrs. Coleman looked sadly at a photo of Connie Prince on the wall. "It was a real shame. I liked her. She taught you how to do your colours." Parker – who had turned and was watching Lily on the other side of the room – turned back to Mrs. Coleman.

"Colours?" she asked.

"You know," she gestured down at her clothes, "what goes best with what. I should never wear orange, apparently. Drains me."

Lily finished her conversation and walked back to join the others. "Who was that?" Parker asked.

Lily continued staring at the wall. "Home Office.

Lestrade was surprised. "Home Office?"

Lily shrugged. "Well, Home Secretary, actually. Owes me a favour."

Mrs. Colman looked at a photo on the wall of Connie holding an award which she won for her show. "She was a pretty girl but she messed about with herself too much. They all do these days." She looks round at Parker. "People can hardly move their faces. It's silly, isn't it?!" She giggles as Parker smiled politely. Mrs. Coleman turned to Lily. "Did you ever see her show?" she asked.

"Not until now." She turned and picked up her computer notebook and opened it.

A video started to play, showing footage of an episode of Connie's make-over show. She was talking to her brother in the TV studio. "You look pasty, love!"

"Ah," Kenny said, looking at the audience. "Rained every day but one!"

"That's the brother," Mrs. Coleman said. "No love lost there, if you can believe the papers."

"So I gather," Lily muttered. "I've just been having a very fruitful chat with people who loved this show. Fan sites – indispensable for gossip.

On the computer, Connie gestured to the clothes which her brother was wearing. "There's really only one thing we can do with that ensemble, don't you think, girls?" She stood up and clapped her hands rhythmically as she began to chant. "Off! Off! Off! Off!" The audience took up the chant and the clapping. By the third, "Off!" Connie was rhythmically beating her hands quite hard onto Kenny's back as he dropped his jacket to the floor and started to unbutton his shirt. He grimaced in pain but then turned a false smile towards the audience.

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Kenny was still standing by the fireplace, looking thoughtfully at a framed photograph of Connie holding her TV award. Elizabeth was sitting on the sofa looking down at his notebook as she spoke. "It's more common than people think. The tetanus is in the soil, people cut themselves on rose bushes, garden forks, that sort of thing. If left un–" She looked up in surprise as Kenny – who had walked across the room unnoticed – now plonked heavily down onto the sofa beside her and stares at her intensely. "…treated…"

"I don't know what I'm going to do now," Kenny said.

Elizabeth was a little nervous. "Right."

"I mean, she's left me this place, which is lovely," Elizabeth looked around the living room with her eyes narrowed, not agreeing with how 'lovely' the place might be, "but it's not the same without her.

Elizabeth fidgeted as she tried to move further away from Kenny, but was unable to do so. "Th-that's why my paper wanted to get the, um, the full story straight from the horse's mouth. You sure it's not too soon?"

"No."

"Right."

Kenny continued staring intensely at her. "You fire away." The cat meowed and trotted across the carpet. Elizabeth watched it as she reached up to rub the side of her nose. As she pulled her hand away again she suddenly realised something and quickly raised her hand to her nose once more, pretending to rub it as she quietly sniffed at her fingers and looked towards the cat again. She smiled round nervously at Kenny.

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Mrs. Colman had left the room but Lily, Parker, and Lestrade were still standing in front of the wall display. Parker's phone rang and she fished it out of her trouser pocket, looked quickly at the Caller I.D. and then held the phone to her ear. "Got anything, Elizabeth?"

"Hi. Look, get over here quickly. I think I'm onto something. You'll need to pick up some stuff first. You got a pen?"


	11. Chapter 11

11: The Great Game – Part III

**:) Enjoy!**

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Yep! :) I personally like Empty Hearse. Even if you didn't really like it will you stay for my rewrite *puppy eyes* I'm gonna add a bunch of things about the Golden Trio's past and the Doombot invasion when I do series 3. I have plans :) Thanks! I'll keep writing if you keep reading ;)**

Some time later, Kenny was primping in front of the mirror near the fireplace when the entrance door shut. Elizabeth put down her teacup. "That'll be her."

"What?" Kenny asked.

Raoul showed Parker into the room. Parker had a large bag over her shoulder and was carrying a long narrow case which was designed to hold a photographic tripod. She walked over to Kenny. "Ah, Mr. Prince, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Very good to meet you."

"Yes; thank you."

They shook hands, Parker looking closely at Kenny's hand as they did so. "So sorry to hear about–"

"Yes, yes, very kind."

Elizabeth cleared her throat. Shall we, er…" Parker walked over to the sofa, put the case down and started rummaging in her bag. Kenny turned back to the mirror and fiddled with his hair again. "You were right," Elizabeth said quietly. "The bacteria got into her another way."

"Oh yes?" asked Parker with a smirk.

"Yes."

Kenny turned towards them. "Right. We all set?"

"Um, yes," Elizabeth said. She looked at Parker, who had taken a camera and flashgun out of her bag, and jerked her head towards Kenny. "Can you…?"

As Kenny leaned one arm on the mantelpiece and posed, Parker walked over to him and started taking photographs of him. "Not too close," Kenny said. "I'm raw from crying."

The cat meows at Parker's feet. She looked down. "Oh, who's this?"

"Sekhmet. Named after the Egyptian goddess."

"How nice! Was she Connie's?"

"Yes."

Elizabeth reached down towards the cat but Kenny beat her to it, picking the cat up. "Little present from yours truly."

Frustrated, Elizabeth straightened up, then looked at her fellow hero. "Parker? Uh, light reading?"

"Oh, um…" She lifted a second flashgun which she was holding in her other hand and held it towards Kenny, firing it straight into his face. "Two point eight."

Kenny squinted his eyes shut against the light. "Bloody. What do you think you're playing at?!"

Elizabeth immediately reached out and rubbed her fingers over one of the cat's front paws. Parker kept firing the flashgun to keep Kenny's eyes closed. "Sorry," Parker apologised.

Elizabeth lifted her fingers away and sniffed them as Parker continued to fire the flashgun. "You're like Laurel and bloody Hardy, you two. What's going on?"

"Actually," Elizabeth said, "I think we've got what we came for. Excuse us."

"What?"

"Parker."

"What?"

Elizabeth grabbed the case from the sofa and headed for the door. "We've got deadlines." Parker followed after her.

"But you've not taken anything!" Kenny called out.

Ignoring him, the girls hurried out of the living room and let themselves out of the door. Elizabeth chuckled delightedly as they walked down the drive and headed towards the main road. "Yes! Ooh, yes!"

Parker smiled. "You think it was the cat. It wasn't the cat."

"What? No, yes. Yeah, it is. It must be. It's how they got the tetanus into her system. Its paws stink of disinfectant."

"Great idea."

"No, he coated it onto the paws of her cat. It's a new pet – bound to be a bit jumpy around her. A scratch is almost inevitable. She wouldn't have…"

"You just have a thing against cats. It's too random and too clever for the brother."

Elizabeth sighed with a shake of her head. "He murdered his sister for her money."

"Did he?"

Elizabeth looked over at her. "Didn't he?"

"No. It was revenge from Raoul, the houseboy. Kenny Prince was the butt of his sister's jokes, week in, week out, a virtual bullying campaign. Finally he had enough; fell out with her badly. It's all on the website. She threatened to disinherit Kenny. Raoul had grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle, so–"

Elizabeth stopped and turned to her. "No, wait, wait. Wait a second." Parker stopped as well. "What about the disinfectant, then, on the cat's claws?"

"Raoul keeps a very clean house. You came through the kitchen door, saw the state of that floor, scrubbed to within an inch of its life. Even you smell of disinfectant now. No, the cat doesn't come into it." Elizabeth pulled her jacket up to sniff at it as Parker looked towards the main road. "Raoul's internet records do, though. Hope we can get a cab from here." She walked off. Elizabeth sighed in exasperation and a touch of disappointment that she hadn't solved the case. She looked towards her friend's back and then followed her.

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That night at Scotland Yard, Parker walked into the main office brandishing a folder at Lestrade. "Raoul de Santos is your killer. Kenny Prince's houseboy. Second autopsy shows it wasn't tetanus that poisoned Connie Prince – it was botulinum toxin." She set the folder down on the desk.

As Lestrade reached for it, Lily spoke up. "We've been here before. Carl Powers? Tut-tut. Our bomber's repeated himself."

Lestrade walked towards his office, Parker following. Elizabeth's eyes followed Parker's movements. Lily just smiled to herself as she let her friend explain. "So how'd he do it?" Lestrade asked.

"Botox injection," Parker answered.

Lestrade turnied back to her. "Botox?"

"Botox is a diluted form of botulinum. Among other things, Raoul de Santos was employed to give Connie her regular facial injections. Lily's contact at the Home Office gave us the complete records of Raoul's internet purchases." She pointed to the folder. "He's been bulk ordering Botox for months." Nearby, Elizabeth continued to stare at Parker, and het expression was becoming more annoyed. Parker, of course, was oblivious to this. "Bided his time, then upped the strength to a fatal dose."

"You sure about this?" asked Lestrade.

"I'm sure."

"All right – my office." He turned and walked towards his office. Parker started to follow but Elizabeth stopped her.

"Hey, Parker. How long?"

"What?" asked Parker.

"How long have you known?"

"Well, this one was not as hard as I expected, actually, and like I said, the bomber repeated himself. That was a mistake."

She tried to walk towards Lestrade's office but again Elizabeth stopped her. "No, but Par…The hostage…the old woman. She's been there all this time."

Parker sighed and leaned closer and looked at her fellow hero intensely. "I knew I could save her. I also knew that the bomber had given us twelve hours. I solved the case quickly; that gave me time to get on with other things. Don't you see? We're one up on him!"

Elizabeth stared at Parker angrily before shaking her head. "What happened to you in the past fifteen years?" she asked in a whisper.

Parker glared. "What happened to you?" she snapped. She headed into Lestrade's office. Elizabeth rubbed her face in frustration, then followed when Lily walked in.

Shortly afterwards, Lily was sitting at Lestrade's desk where a laptop had been opened to The Life of a Detective Hero website. The pink phone sat on the desk. The others are standing around her. Lily typed into the message box:

Raoul de Santos, the house-boy, botox.

She sends the message and the pink phone on the desk beside the computer rang almost instantly. Parker put her hand on it before the others could. "This little case is mine. You two had your turns. She picked it up and answered. "Hello?"

"Help me," the woman said in an anguished voice.

"Tell us where you are," Parker said clearly. "Address."

"He was so…His voice…"

Parker's eyes widened. "No, no, no, no," she said urgently. "Tell me nothing about him. Nothing!"

"He sounded so…soft."

The phone instantly went dead.

Parker blinked. "Hello?"

Lestrade saw her expression. "Parker?"

"What's happened?" Lily asked.

Slowly, staring ahead of himself, Parker lowered the phone from her ear. She bit her lip as Lestrade – realising that something bad must have happened – straightened up and sighed. Elizabeth braced a hand on the back of Parker's chair. Lily closed her eyes and took steady breaths, trying to remain calm.

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In the morning, at 313G, each member of the Golden Trio were sitting in their regular armchairs watching the news on the TV. Lily had the pink phone on the left arm of her chair. The windows were still broken and boarded up and the traffic was loud outside. On the TV, the picture showed a high-rise block of flats and the headline at the bottom of the screen read, "12 dead in gas explosion". The picture moved to a close-up, showing a corner of the building many floors up which had been torn open and exposed to the air. "The explosion," the reporter said, "which ripped through several floors, killing twelve people is said to have been caused by a faulty gas main. A spokesman from the utilities company…"

"He certainly gets about," Elizabeth murmured.

"Well," Lily said, "we lost that round – although technically we did solve the case." She picked up the remote control and muted the volume. Lowering her hand again she looked sadly at Parker. "You said he killed the old lady because she started to describe him."

"Just once," Parker said, "he put himself in the firing line."

"What d'you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well, usually, he must stay above it all, right? He organises these things but no one ever has direct contact."

"What…like the Connie Prince murder – he-he arranged that?" Elizabeth asked in shock. "So people come to him wanting their crimes fixed up, like booking a holiday?" Elizabeth looked at the others in disbelief, then turned and looked at the TV screen again, which had moved on to a new story. "Huh." She jerked a finger towards the screen and Lily and Parker looked up to see Raoul de Santos being bundled out of Kenny's house by police officers. The press were there and were shoving each other as they struggled to get close to Raoul and take photographs while interviewers shouted questions. The headline on the screen read: "Connie Prince: man arrested". Raoul was shoved into the back of a police car. Parker looked around at Lily, who was looking down at the pink phone.

"Taking his time this time," Lily muttered.

Parker looked away, clearing her throat uncomfortably. On the TV, the camera was focussing on Kenny who was standing at the window of his house, holding Sekhmet in his arms and watching the chaos outside. "Anything on the Carl Powers case?" Parker asked Lily and Elizabeth.

"Nothing," Lily said with a shake of her head. "All the living classmates check out spotless. No connection."

"Maybe the killer was older than Carl?" Parker suggested.

"The thought had occurred to us," Elizabeth said.

"So why's he doing this, then – playing this game with you two? D'you think he wants to be caught?"

Lily sighed. "I think he wants to be distracted."

They sat in tense silence for a moment but then the pink phone sounded a message alert. Lily picked up the phone and activated it. The phone sounded one short pip and the long tone, and a photograph appeared showing a river bank. "View of the Thames I'd say," said Elizabeth, leaning over to get a look. "South Bank – somewhere between Southwark Bridge and Waterloo." She reached into her jacket for her own phone. "Elizabeth, check the papers; I'll look online…" She started clicking a few things on her mobile.

Search:  
Thames  
+ High Tide  
+ Riverside

Lily continued her online search. After a while, Elizabeth walked across the room towards the sofa. Lily switched searches.

Local News  
Greenwich  
Waterloo  
Battersea

She selected Waterloo as Elizabeth tiredly sat down on the sofa and started going through the pile of newspapers on the coffee table. Parker went over to join her. Lily's phone showed timed reports from the Waterloo area, giving tide times, police reports and other information.

"Archway suicide," read Elizabeth.

Lily didn't answer but went back to the Local News option and selected Battersea. The page showed "No new reports". She tried "Thames Police Reports" and started scrolling through the duty log.

Parker spoke up, reading from the paper. "Two kids stabbed in Stoke Newington." She put that paper aside and Elizabeth picked up another one.

"Ah," said Elizabeth. "Man found on the train line – Andrew West." She scowled in memory of her dear brother's visit.

Lily looked exasperated as she found no helpful information in the reports. "Nothing!" She hit a speed dial and the phone began to ring out. As soon as it was answered she started talking. "It's me. Have you found anything on the South Bank between Waterloo Bridge and Southwark Bridge?"

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Later, as the police and forensics officers worked at the scene, the Golden Trio arrived. All three of them were pulling on a pair of latex gloves. Lestrade was waiting beside the body. "D'you reckon this is connected, then?" he asked. "The bomber?"

"Must be," Lily said. "Odd, though…" she held up the pink phone. "…he hasn't been in touch."

"But we must assume that some poor bugger's primed to explode, yeah?"

"Yes," Lily answered.

She stepped back and took a long look at the man's body which was lying on its back on a plastic sheet. "Any ideas?" Leatrade asked.

"Mmmm…Can we be left alone for a moment?" she asked. Lestrade nodded and walked off.

The three girls walked closer to the body and looked down at the man's face. They looked back up at each other. "Okay…" Elizabeth said. "Let's see what we can get."

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Lestrade walked back to the group. "Okay, what've you got?"

Parker gestured towards the body, pointing to the areas she indicated. "There's quite a bit of bruising around the nose and mouth. More bruises here and here." Parker reached out to take hold of the man's wrist as Lily walked a few paces away and got her phone out. "He's dead about twenty-four hours – maybe a bit longer." She looked up at Lestrade. "Did he drown?"

"Apparently not. Not enough of the Thames in his lungs. Asphyxiated."

"Yes, I'd agree."

"Alright," Lily said. She put her phone away and clapped her hands together. "What do we know about this corpse?" Lily asked. "The killer's not left us with much – just the shirt and the trousers. They're pretty formal – maybe he was going out for the night, but the trousers are heavy-duty, polyester, nasty, same as the shirt – cheap. They're both too big for him, so some kind of standard-issue uniform. Dressed for work, then. What kind of work? There's a hook on his belt for a walkie-talkie."

"Tube driver?" Parker suggested.

"Security guard?" guessed Elizabeth.

Parker nodded. "Actually…yeah, that is more likely. That'll be borne out by his backside." The Duo gave her a confused look. "Flabby. You'd think that he'd led a sedentary life, yet the soles of his feet and the nascent varicose veins in his legs show otherwise. So, a lot of walking and a lot of sitting around. Security guard's looking good. And the watch helps, too. The alarm shows he did regular night shifts." She paused for a moment. "Why regular?" she asked herself. "Hm…Maybe he just set his alarm like that the night before he died."

Elizabeth leaned down to check the watch. "No no no, the buttons are stiff, hardly touched. He set his alarm like that a long time ago. His routine never varied. You're right," she said, nodding at Parker. "But there's something else. The killer must have been interrupted, otherwise he would have stripped the corpse completely. There was some kind of badge or insignia on the shirt front that he tore off, suggesting the dead man worked somewhere recognisable, some kind of institution." She took something from her pocket. "Found this inside his trouser pockets." She was holding a small scrunched-up ball of paper. "Sodden by the river but still recognisably…"

Parker peered at the ball of paper. "Tickets?"

"Ticket stubs," Elizabeth said with a nod. "He worked in a museum or gallery."

Lily spoke up, looking up from her phone briefly. "Did a quick check – the Hickman Gallery has reported one of its attendants as missing." She pointed down to the body. "Alex Woodbridge. Tonight they unveil the re-discovered masterpiece. Now why would anyone want to pay the Golem to suffocate a perfectly ordinary gallery attendant?"

"Golem?" Lestrade asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Golem?" inquired Lily.

"It's a horror story, isn't it?" said Elizabeth.

"Jewish folk story," Parker said with a nod. "A gigantic man made of clay."

"It's also the name of an assassin –" Lily said, "real name Oskar Dzundza – one of the deadliest assassins in the world. She pointed down to the body. "That is his trademark style."

"So this is a hit?" Leatrade asked.

"Definitely. The Golem squeezes the life out of his victims with his bare hands. Like I was saying, why would anyone kill this man? Inference: the dead man knew something about the painting – something that would stop the owner getting paid thirty million pounds. The Dutch Old Master was supposed to have been destroyed centuries ago; now it's turned up. Worth thirty million pounds. It's a fake."

Lestrade was silent for a long moment before speaking up. "I'd better get my feelers out for this Golem character."

"You'll never find him," Lily said. "But I know some people who can."

"Who?"

Lily grinned and gestured to her friends. "Us." She turned and walked away, her friends following after.

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The taxi pulled up outside the Hickman Gallery and Lily stepped out, followed by Elizabeth. Parker was about to get out as well but Lily stopped her. "Parker, I need you to find out all you can about the gallery attendant. Lestrade will give you the address."

Parker nodded. "Okay." She closed the cab door and gave new instructions to the driver as Elizabeth and Lily walked away towards the gallery.

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A woman led Parker into Alex's tiny attic bedroom. It was messy with clothes scattered everywhere, and near the window, which looked up into the sky, was a large object covered with a sheet. "We'd been sharing about a year," said Julie. "Just sharing."

"Mmm." Julie stopped and gestured around the room. Parker walked in and looked around, not touching anything. She looked at the sheet-covered object and pointed to it. "May I?"

"Yeah," Julie said with a nod.

Parker tried to lift just the top of the sheet but it slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor. "Sorry." She looked at the telescope on a tripod which had been revealed. "Stargazer, was he?"

"Oh yeah. Mad about it. It's all he ever did in his spare time." She looked away sadly. "He was a nice guy, Alex. I liked him." She looked around the room. "He was, er, never much of a one for hoovering." She laughed nervously.

Parker smiled at her, then pulled a face as she looked away. "What about art?" Parker asked. "Did he know anything about that?"

Julie shook her head. "It was just a job, you know?"

"Hmm." Parker bent down and peered at the items on the bedside table. "Has anyone else been around asking about Alex?"

"No. We had a break-in, though."

Parker straightened up. "What? When?"

"Last night. There was nothing taken. Oh – there was a message left for Alex on the landline."

Parker sighed. "Who was it from?"

"Well, I can play it for you if you like. I'll get the phone."

"Yes, please." Julie went out of the room briefly and came back with the phone and played the message.

"Oh, should I speak now? Alex? Love, it's Professor Cairns. Listen, you were right. You were bloody right! Give us a call when…" The message ended abruptly.

Parker pursed her lips for a moment. "Professor Cairns?"

"No," said Julie, shaking her head, "no idea, sorry."

"Mmm. Can I try and ring back?"

"Well, no good. I mean, I've had other calls since – sympathy ones, you know."

Parker nodded and Julie left the room again just as Parker's phone trilled a text alert. She got the phone out and looked at the message which read:

RE: BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS  
Have you spoken to West's  
fiancée yet?  
Wesley

Parker grimaced and put the phone away again.

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An elegantly dressed woman walked into the large white-painted room which was displaying the Vermeer painting. There was no other artwork or furniture of any kind in the room, but free-standing posts were roped together to form a path to the picture. The woman stopped at the sight of a security guard in a black jacket and black cap standing in front of the painting with her back to her. "Don't you have something to do?" Ms. Wenceslas asked. She had a Eastern European accent.

"Just admiring the view," the guard said in a voice that could only belong to Elizabeth.

"Yes. Lovely. Now get back to work. We open tonight."

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and then turned and walked towards her. Her third and final super power she had gained from the rain storm as a teenager was shape shifting. She hadn't changed her appearance much, but her hair was short, curly, and black now, with lighter blue-grey eyes than her regular piercing sky blue. "Doesn't it bother you that the painting's a fake?"she asked.

"What?" Ms. Wenceslas said angrily.

"It's a fake," Elizabeth said with a shrug. "It has to be. It's the only possible explanation." Stepping closer to her, Elizabeth looked at Wenceslas' I.D. badge. "You're in charge, aren't you, Miss Wenceslas?"

"Who are you?" she asked.

Elizabeth held up a finger in accusation. "Alex Woodbridge knew that the painting was a fake, so somebody sent the Golem to take care of him. Was it you?"

"Golem?" Ms. Wenceslas asked. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Or are you working for someone else? Did you fake it for them?"

"It's not a fake."

"It is a fake," Elizabeth said with a nod. "Don't know why, but there's something wrong with it. There has to be."

"What the heck are you on about? You know, I could have you sacked on the spot."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Not a problem."

"No?"

Elizabeth looked around. "Um…Nope. I don't work here, you see. Just popped in to give you a bit of friendly advice."

"How did you get in?" Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow. "I want to know."

"The art of disguise is knowing how to hide in plain sight." She shrugged. "That and the power of shape shifting does help." She turned and began to walk away, taking off her cap.

"Who are you?" Ms. Wenceslas asked.

"Wonder. Member of the Golden Trio." She didn't fear her identity being revealed since she had disguised herself. She dropped the cap onto the top of one of the railing posts and continued onwards.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

"Depends," Elizabeth answered. "Do you know what the Golden Trio is?" Taking off the jacket, she looked round at Wenceslas as she deliberately dropped it on the floor. Reaching the doors, she flamboyantly shoved one open, almost dancing out of the room. "Have a nice day!" After Elizabeth left, Miss Wenceslas walked closer to the painting and looked at it as the door slowly and squeakily swung closed.

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Parker was sitting on the sofa beside Andrew West's fiancée. Two mugs of tea were on the coffee table in front of them. Lucy was upset throughout the ensuing conversation. "He wouldn't. He just wouldn't."

"Well, stranger things have happened," Parker said gently.

"Westie wasn't a traitor. It's a horrible thing to say!"

"I'm sorry, but you must understand that's–"

"That's what they think, isn't it, his bosses?"

Parker looked Lucy in the eye. "My brother is one of his bosses. My brother would never leap to such a conclusion." She shrugged. "But it is still a guess. Young man, about to get married. Must've had debts–"

"Everyone's got debts;" Lucy said, "and Westie wouldn't wanna clear them by selling out his country!"

Parker paused. "Can you, um, can you tell me exactly what happened that night?"

Lucy took a calming breath. "We were having a night in, just watching a DVD." She smiled at the memory. "He normally falls asleep, you know, but he sat through this one. He was quiet." She became more tearful. "Out of the blue, he said he just had to go and see someone."

"And you've no idea who?" Shaking her head, Lucy began to cry.

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Lucy opened the front door and showed Parker out. A cycle courier walked along the pavement towards the house, wheeling his pushbike. "Oh," said the man, "hi, Luce. You okay, love?"

"Yeah," Lucy said softly.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Er…Dr. Marie Kiehof." answered Parker. "Hi."

"This is my brother, Joe," Lucy told her. She turns to her brother. "Marie's trying to find out what happened to Westie, Joe."

Joe looked Parker up and down. "You with the police?"

Parker shrugged. "Uh, sort of, I guess."

"Well, tell 'em to get off their butts, will you? It's bloody ridiculous."

Parker nodded and avoided eye contact awkwardly. "I'll do my best." Nodding, Joe turned and put a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder for a moment before wheeling his bike inside the house. Parker cleared her throat and stepped closer to Lucy. "Well, er, thanks very much for your help; and again, I'm very, very sorry."

He turned to leave but Lucy called after her.

"He didn't steal those things, Ms. Kiehof." Parker turned back to her. "I knew Westie. He was a good man." She started to cry. "He was my good man."

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Parker was in the back of a taxi heading along Baker Street. Lily and Elizabeth came out of 313 and stopped. The taxi pulled up and Parker got out. The Duo walked over to her. "Alex Woodbridge didn't know anything special about art," Parker said with a sigh.

"And?" asked Lily.

"And…?"

"Is that it? No habits, hobbies, personality?"

Parker groaned. "No, give me a chance! He was an amateur astronomer."

Lily shook her head and began to smile. "Fortunately, I haven't been idle. While you two were out investigating, I found out where Golem might be." She opened the cab door and got in. "Come on." Elizabeth and Parker exchanged glanced then climbed in and the taxi headed off.

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At Vauxhall, the Trio got out of the cab and were walking along, taking in the sights. They had brought torches and shined them around as they continued into the darkness of the Arches. Their beams picked out homeless people all around the place, most of them settling down for the night. Suddenly, in the distance, the shadow of a man showed on a wall as he began to stand up. He was incredibly tall. "Guys," Elizabeth gasped.

"Come on!" Lily hissed.

The three of them ducked to the side of a wall as the man continued straightening up for until he was over seven feet tall. "What's he doing sleeping rough?" Parker asked in a hushed whisper.

Lily peered around the corner. "Well, he has a very distinctive look. He has to hide somewhere where people won't talk – much."

Parker looked down as she realised that she had come out without something essential. "Oh crap," she muttered under her breath.

Lily took Parker's pistol from her coat pocket. Elizabeth's eyes widened when she saw what Lily was holding. "What?" Lily asked.

"I wish I'd–"

Lily tossed her the gun. "Don't mention it."

Parker's brow furrowed in confusion. "How'd you know I have a gun."

"You're Parker," Lily said, as if it were obvious, "of course you have a gun."

The man broke into a run and hurried away down another tunnel. The girls chased across towards where he was and reached the tunnel just in time to see him climbing into a waiting car which immediately sped off. Lily punched the air in frustration. "No, no, no, no! It'll take us weeks to find him again."

"Why didn't you use super speed?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'd rather not die as of right now."

"It might not take weeks. I have an idea where he might be going."

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"Someone left Alex Woodbridge a message. There can't be that many Professor Cairns in the book. Come on."

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Professor Cairns stood alone in the planetarium's theatre. As Gustav Holst's "Mars" played over the sound system, she stood at the mixing desk and was watching footage of the film which was played to visitors. Other than the light coming from the projector, the room was in darkness. "Jupiter," the narrator said, "the fifth planet in our solar system and the largest. Jupiter is a gas giant. Planet Earth would fit into it eleven times."

"Yes, we know that," said Cairns in a bored tone.

She stopped the recording and fast-forward it for a moment. "Titan is the largest moon," said the narrator.

Cairns fast-forward again. "Come on, Neptune, where're you hiding?" Just as Cairns started the playback again, the door banged shut. She looked around.

"Many are actually long dead…"

Cairns peered up to the projection room. "Tom? Is that you?"

"…exploded into supernovas." She turned back to the desk, ignoring the door. "…discovered by Urbain Le Verrier in eighteen forty-six.

A tall figure stepped up behind Cairns and clamped one hand over her mouth and nose, pulling her backwards. "Oh–!" she yelled out in a muffled cry. As she clawed at the hand, crying out in muffled panic, her other hand flailed out and dragged several of the sliders down the mixing desk. The footage began to jump randomly as Cairns' attacker continued to suffocate her.

"…composed mainly of hydrogen. Their light takes so long to reach us…"

The Golden Trio raced into the theatre through another door. As Parker stopped and aimed her pistol towards the attacker and Elizabeth was prepared to use her beams, Lily yelled at the top of her voice. "Golem!"

"…many are actually long-dead, exploded into supernovas."

The Golem looked up, grunted in surprise, then snapped Cairns' neck and dropped her to the floor. Her fingers dragged along the mixing desk and the footage into fast-forward again, plunging the theatre into darkness. The Golem ducked down out of sight. "Guys!" Lily yelled.

"I can't see him," Parker said. "I'll go around. I'll go!"

As the footage continued spooling and then stopping and playing before spooling again, light came and went in the room. Elizabeth and Lily stared around as Parker hurried off. "Who are you working for this time, Dzundza?" Elizabeth asked loudly.

Behind her, the Golem stepped out of the fluctuating darkness and clamped one hand around Elizabeth mouth and nose while gripping his neck with the other. Lily rushed forward but Golem kicked her to the floor. Elizabeth grabbed at the hand on her face, struggling to pull it free as she was slowly being suffocated. Parker raced over and stopped in front of them, her pistol held in both hands. "Golem!" She cocked the gun and pointed it at the Golem's face, her hands and voice were steady. "Let him go, or I will kill you." Lily coughed on the floor, trying to get up. Elizabeth, whimpering in her efforts, continued trying to pull the man's hand from her face. The Golem swung her around to the left and lashed out with his long right leg during a moment of darkness, kicking the pistol from Parker's hands. Dropping Elizabeth to the ground, he surged forward and wrestled with Parker. As Elizabeth tried to recover, Lily got to her feet, the Golem shoved Parker into her, sending both of the girl tumbling to the floor, right on top of Elizabeth. Lily scrambled up again and took up a pathetic looking boxing stance in front of him, holding her fists up nervously. She swung a punch at the man but he grabbed her hand and swung his other arm down heavily onto Lily's shoulder, dropping her to the floor like a rag doll yet again. The Golem followed her down and clamped both hands onto her face, leaning his weight onto them. Elizabeth reached her hand out, palm forward, and blasted a hand beam at Golem. Golem yelled and threw Lily into Elizabeth. Behind him, Parker threw herself onto his back. The Golem roared, clawing at the girl on his back. He stood up with Parker still clinging to his back and spun around several times before finally managing to shake her off onto the floor. As Parker groggily tried to get up, the Golem turned, picked up Elizabeth and skimmed her across the floor towards Parker, hitting Lily along the way. The Golem ran for the doors. Parker rolled over onto her back and reached in the direction of her pistol, using telekinesis to summon it. Looking much like a jedi, she caught it and fired twice towards him but the Golem made it to the doors and disappeared through them.

"…long dead, exploded into supernovas." As the image of a supernova dramatically exploded on the screen behind them, Parker angrily slammed her gun down on the floor in front of her.

**That deduction scene was probably one of hardest scenes to do. I wanted to split it evenly and make sure it was done in a different way**

**Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

12: The Great Game – Part IV

**Noodle Fanatic - Case solving! Um…no…Parker's not a guy…oops…**

**Leftthelibrary - Thank you! I do watch Merlin, but I haven't seen all of the last season (even though I know what happens). But when I finish I'll keep a Merlin Doctor x-over in mind :)**

**NotDead (guest) - Thanks!**

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Hello! Thank you! There'll be a season four though…in a while…*groans* MOFFAT! I'll keep trying my best!**

In the Hickman Gallery the next morning, Parker was standing in front of the Vermeer painting, looking up information on her phone. She called up subjects such as 'Vermeer brush strokes', 'Pigment analysis', 'Canvas degradation', 'UV Light damage', 'Delft Skyline, 1600', and 'Vermeer influences'. Lily, Elizabeth, Lestrade, and Miss Wenceslas were standing behind her. "It's a fake," said Parker. "It has to be."

That painting has been subjected to every test known to science," Ms. Wenceslas said.

"It's a very good fake, then," Elizabeth said.

Parker spun around and looked sternly at Wenceslas. "You know about this, don't you? You have to know."

Miss Wenceslas turned to Lestrade, looking exasperated. "Inspector, my time is being wasted. Would you mind showing yourself and your friends out?"

The pink phone rang. Lily snatched it from her pocket and switched on the speaker. "The painting is a fake," Parker said.

There was a faint sound of breathing over the speaker but otherwise there was no response. "It's a fake," Lily said. "That's why Woodbridge and Cairns were killed.

Still there was nothing more than breathing. "Oh, come on," sighed Elizabeth. "Proving it's just the detail. The painting is a fake. We've solved it. We've figured it out. It's a fake! That's the answer. That's why they were killed."

When the phone remains silent, Parker took a deep breath to make sure she didn't loose her temper. "Okay, I'll prove it. Give me time. Will you give me time?"

After a moment, the tremulous voice of a very young boy came over the phone's speaker._ "Ten…" _Instantly Parker spun and looked closely at the painting.

"Guys, I need your help!" she yelled.

Lestrade was in shock. "It's a kid. Oh, no, it's a kid!"

_"Nine…"_

Lily and Elizabeth rushed forward, their eyes as scanning every inch of the painting. "It's a countdown," Parker said. "He's giving us time."

"Oh no…" Lestrade muttered.

"The painting is a fake," said Lily, "but how can we prove it? How? How?

_"Eight…"_

Lily turned and glared at Miss Wenceslas. "This kid will die. Tell me why the painting is a fake. Tell me!"

Miss Wenceslas flinched and opened her mouth. "I don't know!"

_"Seven…"_

Lily turned back to the painting and  
Lestrade turned and walked away a few paces in nervousness.

Elizabeth started muttering to herself as he continued to scan the painting. "Must be possible. Must be staring us in the face."

_"Six…"_

Parker was bouncing nervously. "Woodbridge knew, but how?"

_"Five…"_

"It's speeding up!" Lestrade warned.

Parker's gaze fell on three tiny dots of paint in the night sky. Her mouth fell open as the penny finally dropped. She thanked her lucky stars she had gotten super memorisation as part of her super-mind power. "Oh!"

_"Four…"_ Not wanting to waste any more time, Parker grabbed the pink phone from Lily and yelled into it. "The Van Buren Supernova!"

There was a short pause, then the boy's plaintive voice came from the speaker. "Please. Is somebody there?" Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relieved breath. "Somebody help me!"

Lily turned to Lestrade and handed the phone to him. "There you go. Go find out where he is and pick him up."

"The Van Buren Supernova, so-called," said Parker. She clicked a few things on her phone up then held it over her shoulder so that Miss Wenceslas could see the screen. "Exploding star, only appeared in the sky in eighteen fifty-eight."

She turned and threw Wenceslas a triumphant look, then walked away. Elizabeth dragged in a relieved breath, then walked closer to the painting. "So how could it have been painted in the sixteen forties?" she asked.

Parker's phone trilled a text alert. "Oh." She dug out his phone, still breathing heavily, and looked at the message which read:

_I'm sure you have  
other things on your  
mind, but my patience  
is wearing thin.  
Wesley_

She growled slightly, then looked over at the painting one last time. She switched off the phone and walked away. Miss Wenceslas was left to stare at the painting in shock.

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Lily and Miss Wenceslas were sitting side by side in front of Lestrade's desk while the inspector sat in a chair to the side of the desk. Elizabeth was leaning against the wall nearby. Lily cleared her throat. "You know, it's interesting. Bohemian stationery, an assassin named after a Prague legend, and you, Miss Wenceslas. This whole case has a distinctly Czech feeling about it. Is that where this leads?" Wenceslas looked down and didn't answer.

"What are we looking at, Inspector?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, um, criminal conspiracy, fraud, accessory after the fact at the very least. The murder of the old woman, all the people in the flats…"

Ms. Wenceslas was panicked, and turned to Lestrade. "I didn't know anything about that! All those things! Please believe me." As she continued to stare at Lestrade, Lily gave him a tiny nod to confirm that she was telling the truth.

"I just wanted my share – the thirty million." She looked across to Lily, then sighed and lowered her head again. "I found a little old man in Argentina. Genius. I mean, really: brushwork immaculate, could fool anyone." Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. Ms. Wenceslas looked at her briefly. "Well, nearly anyone." She turned back to Lestrade. "But I didn't know how to go about convincing the world the picture was genuine. It was just an idea – a spark which he blew into a flame."

"Who?" asked Lily sharply.

Wenceslas shook her head. "I don't know." Lestrade gave a disbelieving laugh. "It's true! I mean, it took a long time, but eventually I was put in touch with people…his people." Lily slowly began to sit up in her chair, her expression becoming more concentrated. "Well, there was never any real contact; just messages…whispers."

Lily leaned closer to her, her face intense. "And did those whispers have a name?"

Ms. Wenceslas gazed ahead of herself for a moment, then looked across to Lestrade before nodding. She turned her head to Lily.

"Moriarty."

Slowly, Lily sunk back in her chair. She and Elizabeth shared shocked, worried looks as Miss Wenceslas looked anxiously at Lestrade again.

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Wearing a high-vis jacket over her coat, Parker was walking along the railway lines with the tube guard who found Andrew West's body. "So this is where West was found?" Parker inquired.

"Yeah," the tube guard answered.

"Uh-huh."

"You gonna be long?"

Parker shrugged. "I might be."

"You with the police, then?"

"Well, sort of."

"I hate 'em."

Parker looked over to him. "The police?"

"No," said the guard, shaking his head. "Jumpers. People who chuck themselves in front of trains. Selfish idiots."

Parker shrugged again. "Well, that's one way of looking at it." She squatted down to look more closely at the railway track.

"I mean it. It's all right for them. It's over in a split second – strawberry jam all over the lines. What about the drivers, hmm? They've gotta live with it, haven't they?" Parker ran her fingers along the track, then lifts her fingers to look at it.

"Yeah, speaking of strawberry jam, there's no blood on the line." She stood up again. "Has it been cleaned off?"

The tube guard shook his head. "No, there wasn't that much."

Parker quirked an eyebrow. "You said his head was smashed in."

"Well, it was, but there wasn't much blood."

"…Okay." She turned and looked along the line thoughtfully.

"Well," the guard said, "I'll leave you to it then." Parker walked a few yards further down the line and then squatted down again. "Just give us a shout when you're off."

Parker nodded. "Okie-Doke." The guard walked away. Parker stood up again and talked to herself. "Right: so, uh, Andrew West got on the train somewhere – or did he? There's no ticket on the body. Then how did he end up here?" Beside her, the points changed and one of the tracks slid sideways into a new layout. Parker squatted down again and looked at the tracks thoughtfully. "Little blood," she murmured.

"He wasn't killed here," said a voice from behind her.

Parker jumped, startled. "Yes! Yes, I was getting there, I know." She sprung to her feet and turned around to see Elizabeth and Lily standing nearby.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I know you know. West wasn't killed here; that's why there was so little blood."

Parker looked them up and down. "How long have you two been following me?"

Lily shuffled her feet. "Er…a long time. You don't think we'd give up on a case like this just to spite Elizabeth's brother, do you?"

Elizabeth turned and started walking away. "Come on," she said. "Got a bit of burglary to do."

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

The Golden Trio walked down a street towards their destination. "The missile defence plans haven't left the country," Elizabeth said, "otherwise Grant and Wesley's people would have heard about it. Despite what people think, we do still have a Secret Service."

"Yeah, I know," Parker said, I've met them."

"…Which means whoever stole the memory stick can't sell it or doesn't know what to do with it," Lily concluded.

Elizabeth looked around. "We're here," she said.

"Where?" asked Parker.

Elizabeth trotted up the steps at the side of the building which led to the front door of flat 21A on the first floor quickly followed by Lily. As Lily rummaged in her pocket, Parker whispered to him urgently. "Wait! Guys! What if someone's inside?"

"There isn't," Elizabeth said confidently. Lily picked the lock and went inside, Elizabeth following after.

"Man…" Parker said softly to herself. She hurried inside and shut the door. Lily and Elizabeth trotted up the short flight of stairs ahead of her and walked into the living room. "Where are we?"

"Oh, sorry, didn't I say?" asked Elizabeth. "Joe Harrison's flat."

Parker blinked then spoke slowly. "Joe…?"

Lily went straight over to the window and pulled back the net curtain. She grinned in satisfaction at the sight which greeted her outside. Elizabeth turned to Parker again. "Brother of West's fiancée," she said. Outside the window was a one-storey extension, the roof of which could be easily climbed onto from the window. The extension spread all the way to the bottom of the garden which ended in a wall, and directly on the other side of the wall was the railway line. "He stole the memory stick; killed his prospective brother-in-law," Elizabeth explained.

Dropping to her knees, Lily got out her magnifier and ran it slowly along the edge of the window sill. Parker and Elizabeth walked across to her and peered over her shoulder as Lily found some tiny blood-red spots on the paint. "Then why'd he do it?" asked Parker.

She straightened up and turned as someone unlocked the front door. Lily also stood up also. "How 'bout we ask him?"

Reaching round to the back of her jeans, Parker walked quietly to the door of the living room as the front door slammed. She stepped out onto the landing just as Joe, wearing his courier gear, was leaning his bicycle against the wall. When he saw Parker he picked up the bike as if he intended to use it as a weapon or simply to throw it at her. Parker instantly raised her right hand and pointed her pistol at him. "Don't." Joe kept coming but Parker shook her head. "Don't." Joe stopped and lowered the bike, sighing in a mixture of frustration and fear.

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Joe was sitting on the sofa as the Trio stood and looked at him. Joe was very distressed. "It wasn't meant to…No…" He rubbed his hand over his face. "What's Lucy gonna say? No…" He suck back into the sofa.

"Why did you kill him?" Elizabeth asked.

"It was an accident," Joe protested. "I swear it was."

"But stealing the plans for the missile defence programme wasn't an accident, was it?" Lily asked in a tone as if she were scolding a child.

Joe sighed in defeat. "I started dealing drugs," he admitted. "I mean, the bike thing's a great cover, right? I dunno – I dunno how it started; I just got out of my depth. I owed people thousands – serious people. Then at Westie's engagement do, he starts talking about his job. I mean, usually he's so careful; but that night after a few pints he really opened up. He told me about these missile plans – beyond top secret. He showed me the memory stick; he waved it in front of me. You hear about these things getting lost, ending up on rubbish tips and what-not. And there it was, and I thought…well, I thought it could be worth a fortune. It was pretty easy to get the thing off him, he was so plastered. Next time I saw him, I could tell by the look on his face that he knew. Joe looked up guiltily at Parker.

"What happened?" asked Parker.

"I was gonna call an ambulance, but it was too late. I just didn't have a clue what to do, so I dragged him in 'ere, and I just sat in the dark, thinking."

"Then you got an idea," Elizabeth said.

Lily pushed the net curtain aside and looking out of the window. "Carrying Andrew West way away from here. His body would have gone on for ages if the train hadn't met a stretch of track that curved."

"And points," Parker said.

"Exactly," Elizabeth said.

Parker began pacing. "D'you still have it, then?" Parker asked. "The memory stick?

Joe nodded.

Fetch it for us – if you wouldn't mind," Elizabeth said. Sighing unhappily, Joe stood up and walked into another room. The Trio gathered closer together to talk. "Distraction over," said Elizabeth, "the game continues."

"Well, maybe that's over, too," Parker said. "We've heard nothing from the bomber."

"Five pips, remember, guys?" asked Lily "It's a countdown. We've only had four."

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In the flat, the heroes were scattered about. Parker was sitting in her armchair with her feet up on the seat and her arms folded tightly around her, trying to conserve heat from the still boarded up windows. The pink phone was on the arm of the chair. Elizabeth was sitting at the dining table, typing an email up on her laptop. Lily was reading in her armchair. The TV was on and show was playing. As the audience booed noisily, Parker yelled indignantly at the telly. "No, no, no!" She gestured at the screen. "He can't be, he just can't not possible!" Sighing, she folded her arms again.

Lily smirked at Parker's comment. "Have you given Grant the memory stick yet, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth squinted and tilted her head, dragging out the next word. "Weeeeeell…"

Parker sighed, turning off the TV. "You didn't, did you."

Elizabeth groaned. "I will eventually! We can use it!" She pulled up The Life of a Detective Hero and gestured for the others to come over. When they walked towards her, Elizabeth began to type.

_Found. The Bruce-Partington plans. Please collect._

Parker's mouth fell open. "Elizabeth!" she scolded.

"Hey, do we want to catch this killer or not?" Elizabeth asked. Parker sighed in defeat and Lily gave a simple nod. Elizabeth typed some more.

_The Pool. Midnight._

She sent the message, then closed the lid, breathing deeply and worriedly.

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

Lily opened the door leading into the area surrounding an indoor swimming pool. The lights were on but there was nobody else around. She walked slowly towards the shallow end of the pool, the others filing in after; first Elizabeth, then Parker. They stopped at the edge of the pool and Lily turned, trying to see up into the area of the gallery above their heads. Finally, Elizabeth turned towards the pool, raising one hand and holding up the memory stick. "We brought you a little getting-to-know-you present," she said loudly. "Oh, that's what it's all been for, hasn't it? All your little puzzles; making us dance – all to distract us from this." She gestured with the memory stick, then began to turn in a slow circle as she waited for a response.

Everyone looked around worriedly and tense. A door opened halfway down the room and everyone looked around, Elizabeth still holding the memory stick aloft. And John Watson walked through the door and into the pool area, wrapped snugly in a hooded jacket with his hands tucked into the pockets. He turned and looked at the Golden Trio as they all stared back at him in absolute shock. "Evening," John said. Elizabeth's raised hand began to lower slowly but otherwise she didn't move. Lily's eyes were wide and Parker stared in utter disbelief. "This is a turn-up, isn't it, Golden Trio?

Parker eventually spoke, softly, and shocked. "John. What have you done–?"

"Bet you never saw this coming," said another voice. A young man came out from the same door John entered. He had blonde hair and icy-blue eyes…exactly like Elizabeth's. It was her younger brother, Spencer.

Elizabeth gasped and looked at her brother. "S-Spencer."

"Not just them," said a feminine voice, also walking in. Her long black hair came to her elbows and her hazel eyes looked worriedly at Lily from behind her glasses. It was Lily's sister, May.

Finally, Parker managed to move, and started to walk slowly towards the man she had believed to be so great and loyal until now. The shock and bewilderment on her face made her look like she was back in the doombot invasion. Then, with a look of despair that matched Parker's, John took his hands from his pockets and pulled open his jacket to reveal the bomb strapped to his chest. A sniper's laser immediately began to dance around over the bomb as well as the others'.

John blinked. "What…would you like me…to make him say…next?" The Trio began to copy Parker's actions, stepping towards each person for them but looking everywhere as they tried to see who else was in the area. John continued narrating the words spoken into his earpiece. "Gottle o' geer…gottle o' geer…gottle o' geer." His voice almost broke on the last phrase.

"Stop it!" Elizabeth said, looking around the room frantically.

"Nice touch," May narrated, "this: the pool where little Arlo died. I stopped him." She tried not to cringe as she listened to the next words. "I can stop everyone important to you too. " She looked down at the laser point on her chest. "Stop their hearts."

Lily turned on the spot as she tried to look in all directions. "Who are you?" she asked.

A door opened at the far end of the pool and a soft male voice with an Irish accent spoke from that direction. "I gave you my number. I thought you might call," he said plaintively. The Golden Trio turned towards the new arrival, who slowly walked out into the open. It was Jim, Molly's boyfriend. But it wasn't the fumble-fingered casually-dressed Londoner who did indeed leave his number for Parker in the lab at Bart's; this was a sharply-dressed man with immaculate hair and a murderous look on his face. With his hands in his pockets, he casually began to stroll alongside the deep end of the pool, heading towards the Trio and the hostanges. All hint of plaintiveness had now gone from his voice. "Hey Nightingale, is that British Army Browning in your pocket," Parker reached down to her trouser pocket and removed a pistol from it, "or are you just worried about this meeting?"

Parker raised the pistol and aimed it towards Jim, biting her lip. Lily chose to speak up. "Both."

Jim stopped and looked back at them, unafraid. "Jim Moriarty…Hi!" Elizabeth tilted her head as she looked more closely at the man. Jim acted as if he needed to remind the Trio who he was. "Jim? Jim from the hospital?" He began to walk alongside the deep end again. Parker brought up her other hand to support the one aiming the gun. Elizabeth and Lily both raised their hands, readying their powers. Jim bit his lip as if disappointed. "Oh. Did I really make such a fleeting impression? But then, I suppose, that was rather the point." He turned to face Parker just as the sniper's laser flickered over John's upper chest. Parker briefly turned her head towards John, a questioning look on her face. Jim began to walk again. "Don't be silly. Someone else is holding the rifle. I don't like getting my hands dirty." He reached the corner of the pool and stopped. "I've given you a glimpse, Trio, just a teensy glimpse of what I've got going on out there in the big bad world. I'm a specialist, you see…" He looked surprised, as if he had only just realised the connection. "…Like you guys!"

Lily glared. "Dear Jim. Please will you fix it for me to get rid of my lover's nasty sister?" Starting to walk forward again, Jim grinned as he recognised what Lily was referencing. "Dear Jim. Please will you fix it for me to disappear to South America?"

"Just so," said Jim.

"Consulting criminal," Lily said softly.

Jim smiled proudly. "Isn't it great? No one ever gets to me – and no one ever will."

Parker cocked the pistol as she spoke. "We did."

"You guys have come the closest. Now you're in my way."

"Thank you," said Lily.

"Didn't mean it as a compliment," said Jim, turning to her.

"Yes you did."

Jim shrugged. "Yeah, okay, I did. But the flirting's over," his voice became high-pitched and sing-song, "Daddy's had enough now!" He again started to stroll closer. Jim switched back to his normal tone. "I've shown you what I can do. I cut loose all those people, all those little problems, even thirty million quid just to get you to come out and play."

The two younger hostages were stressed and shaking, May had tears streaming down her face. John was calmer than them, but was starting to feel the strain and closed his eyes briefly. Parker's eyes couldn't help but flicker across to him a couple of times as she tried to keep her focus on the man approaching them. "So take this as a friendly warning…my dears. Back off." He smiled. "Although I have loved this – this little game of ours." He put on his London accent for a moment. "Playing Jim from I.T." He switched back to his Irish accent. "Playing cheating. Did you like the little touch with the mobile number?"

"People have died," Elizabeth murmured, still loud enough for the others to hear.

"That's what people _DO_!" Jim screamed the last word furiously, his personality changing in an instant.

"We will stop you," Lily said quietly.

Jim was calm again. "No you won't," he said with a confident shrug.

Elizabeth looked across to the hostages. "You all right?" she asked, eyes flickering between all of them but mostly to Spencer. They all deliberately kept their gaze away from the Golden Trio, having been given instructions earlier about not talking to them. Jim walked forward again and reached John's side. "You can talk, Johnny-boy. Everyone can. Go ahead."

Refusing to specifically obey Jim's orders, John met Parker's eyes and nodded once. Parker glanced towards Elizabeth and Elizabeth held out the memory stick towards Jim. "Take it," she said.

"Huh?" wondered Jim. "Oh! That!" He strolled past the hostages and reached out for the stick, grinning. "The missile plans!" He took the stick from Elizabeth's fingers and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. Behind him, John was silently murmuring to himself, perhaps trying to keep himself focussed, perhaps winding himself up to take action. Jim lowered the memory stick and looked at it. "Boring!" he said in a sickening, sing-song tone. He shook his head. "I could have got them anywhere." He nonchalantly tossed the stick into the pool. Seeing his opportunity, John raced forward and slammed himself up against Jim's back, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his chest. Parker backed up a step in surprise but kept the pistol raised and aimed at Jim. "Parker, run!"

Jim laughed in delight. "Good! Very good." No member of the Golden Trio moved and Parker was still aiming her gun at Jim's head but started to look up a little anxiously, as if wondering what action the hidden sniper might take.

John began speaking savagely. "If your sniper pulls that trigger, Mr. Moriarty, then we both go up."

Jim looked calmly at Parker. "Isn't he sweet? I can see why you date him. But then people do get so sentimental." Grimacing angrily, John pulled Jim even closer onto the bomb that was now sandwiched between them. Jim scowled round at him. "They're so touchingly loyal. But, oops!" He grinned briefly at John, then looked towards the Trio. "You've rather shown your hand there, Doctor Watson." He chuckled as a new laser point appeared in the middle of Parker's forehead. John stared in horror as Jim looked round at him expectantly. Parker, realising what was happening from John's expression and her friends reactions behind her, shook her head slightly. "Gotcha!" Jim sang out. He chuckled as John released his grip on him and stepped back, holding his hands up to signal to the sniper that he won't be trying anything else.

Jim glanced around at him, then turned back towards the Golden Trio while brushing his hands down his suit to straighten it. He gestured to it indignantly. "Westwood!" He lowered his hands and stood calmly in front of Parker who was still aiming the pistol at his head. "D'you know what happens if you don't leave me alone?" He glanced at the rest of the Trio. "To all of you?"

"Oh," Lily said in a bored tone, "let me guess: we all get killed."

"Kill you?" He grimaced. "N-no, don't be obvious. I mean, I'm gonna kill at least one of you anyway someday. I don't wanna rush it, though. I'm saving it up for something special. No no no no no. If you don't stop prying…I'll burn you." He ran his eyes briefly across the three of them, and his voice became vicious. "I'll burn…the hearts…out of you." His face was a snarl as he said the word 'hearts' but at the end of the sentence he looked almost regretful. He met Parker's eyes unblinkingly. "Killing at least one of you will be the best way to burn the rest." Parker blinked involuntarily, a bit nervous. Jim looked down, smiling, then shrugged. "Well, I'd better be off." He nonchalantly looked around, checking his exit route, before turning back to the Golden Trio. "Well, so nice to have had a proper chat."

Parker raised the pistol higher and extended it closer to Jim's head. "What if I was to shoot you now – right now?"

Jim was completely unperturbed. "Then you could cherish the look of surprise on my face." He opened his eyes and mouth wide, mimicking surprise, then grinned at Parker. "'Cause I'd be surprised, Nightingale; really I would. You aren't a killer. I'd even be surprised if Crystal here killed me, but less surprised than if you did." He screwed up his nose. "And I'd be just a teensy bit…disappointed. And of course you wouldn't be able to cherish it for very long." Slowly he began to turn away. "Ciao, Golden Trio." Looking back at all of them with some distaste, he walked calmly towards the side door which the hostages came through earlier.

Parker slowly stepped forward to keep him in her sights. "Catch…you…later."

The door opened and Jim's voice could be heard, high-pitched and sing-song. "No you won't!"

The door closed. No one moved for a few seconds, Parker's gun still aimed towards the door. Then everyone's gaze drifted to the hostage there for them. Everyone hurried forward to their person. Parker bent, putting the pistol on the floor, then dropped to her knees in front of John as she started unfastening the vest to which the bomb was attached. The others were doing the same with their siblings. "All right?" Parker asked. John tilted his head back, breathing heavily. "Are you all right?" Parker asked again, this time much more urgent.

"Yeah-yeah," stuttered John. "I'm fine." Having unfastened the vest, Parker jumped up and hurried round behind John, starting to pull the jacket and the bomb vest off in one go. "I'm fine," John insisted. Parker, also breathing too fast, continued trying to tug the jacket and vest off. "Parker," John said breathily Finally Parker managed to roughly strip the jacket and vest off John's arms. "P-Parker!" Parker bent and skimmed the items as far away along the floor as she could, while John staggered at the vehemence with which her girlfriend just ripped them off him.

John sighed and he reached up and pulled the earpiece from his ear, breathing heavily as delayed shock began to hit him. Parker turned and stared at him for a moment, as Lily and Elizabeth ran out with their siblings. Parker pulled John into a tight hug for a moment before glancing around and hurrying back to pick up the pistol before racing towards the door that Moriarty left through. John's knees buckled and he staggered towards the nearest support, which was the edge of one of the changing cubicles. "Oh, boy." He turned and dropped down into a squat, bracing his back against the cubicle's edge as he blew out a long breath and tried to calm himself down. Parker came back in, having seen no sign of Moriarty outside. She started to pace up and down near John, so hyper and distracted that she didn't even realise that she was scratching the back of her head with the business end of a loaded and cocked pistol. John looked up at Parker. "Are you okay?" he asked breathlessly.

Parker continued pacing and continued scratching her head with the gun. "Me? Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Fine." She turned to John, wide-eyed and breathless. "That, er…thing that you, er, that you did; that, um…" she cleared her throat, "…you offered to do. That was, um…good. Thank you."

John merely stared blankly ahead of himself. "I'm glad only your friends saw that."

Parker had temporarily lowered her hand long enough to not be risking accidentally shooting herself in the head – although she had terrible jitters as she held the gun down by her side. She lifted the gun again as she raised her hand to rub her chin while looking down at John in confusion. "Hmm?"

John spoke, but was still not meeting Parker's eyes. "You, ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. Bit early, don't ya think."

Parker shrugged, still nervous. "To be honest, I don't care what people think. Well, except for when I'm around them and I can hear them think." She looked down at John, then grinned. John snorted laughter, then leaned forward and prepared to stand up. But before she could move, the beam from a sniper's laser began to dance over his chest.

John looked down at it and his face filled with horror. "Oh…" he said in anguish.

A door near the deep end of the pool opened and Jim came through, clapping his hands together and turning to face the hero and the blogger. "Sorry fellas!" Jim said cheerfuly. "I'm _soooooo_ changeable!" John grimaced in disbelief. Parker kept her back to Jim, looking up into the gallery to try and judge how many snipers there might be up there. There were quite a few because there were at least two laser points hovering over John, and at least three more travelling over Parker's body. Jim laughed and spread his arms wide. "It is a weakness with me but, to be fair to myself…it is my only weakness." He lowered his hands and put them in his pockets. Parker turned her head and looked down at John, who lifted his own head to meet her gaze. "You can't be allowed to continue. You just can't. I would try to convince you but," he laughed and his voice becomes sing-song again, "everything I have to say has already crossed your mind!"

Parker, who had looked away for a moment, turned and looked down at John again, her face showing several mixed emotions such as worry, fear, regret, and anger, but her eyes screamed a simple, silent request. John responded instantly with a tiny nod, giving her full permission to do whatever she deemed necessary. Parker turned to face Jim, gathering all the bravery she had. "Probably my answer has crossed yours."

She raised the pistol and aimed it at him. Jim smiled confidently, with no fear in his expression. Slowly, Parker lowered the pistol downwards until it was pointing directly at the bomb jacket. All three sets of eyes locked onto the jacket, John breathing heavily, Parker trying calm but somewhat unnerved. Jim tilted his head, looking a little anxious for the first time. As Parker held her hand steady, continuing to aim towards the jacket, Jim lifted his head and locked eyes with one of his new nemeses. Parker gazed back at him and Jim began to smile. Parker's eyes narrowed slightly, finger at the trigger, ready to pull at any moment…

**HAHA! Season one, finished! Who's excited for my SiB rewrite? :D Not as big of a cliffhanger because we know what'll happen. Well…I could easily change it *evil grin* See ya tomorrow!**


	13. Chapter 13

13: Scandal - Part I

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Stayin' Alive, Stayin' Alive :D Thank you! I will keep writing until the end of the series is upon us!**

**When I was writing the fanfiction out and I stumbled upon this episode I blinked and thought: Crap…how do I do this? Then I got an idea…**

As Parker and Jim Moriarty stared at each other, the introduction to The Bee Gees' song 'Stayin' Alive' began to play tinnily. Parker and John look around, confused. Jim briefly closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "D'you mind if I get that?"

"No, no, please," said Parker. "You've got the rest of your life."

Jim took his phone from his pocket and answered it. "Hello?…Yes, of course it is. What do you want?" He mouthed 'Sorry' at Parker, who sarcastically mouthed 'Oh, it's fine' back at him, waving her gun casually. Jim rolled his eyes as he listened to the phone, turning away from Parker for a moment, then he spun back around, his face full of fury. "SAY THAT AGAIN!" he yelled. Parker frowned a bit. "Say that again," Jim said venomously into the phone, "and know that if you're lying to me, I will find you and I will skin you." Parker looked round at John. Jim spoke into phone again. "Wait." Lowering the phone, he began to walk forward. Parker looked at the bomb jacket fretfully and adjusted the grip on her pistol as Jim approached. Jim stopped at the jacket and gazed down at the ground thoughtfully before lifting his eyes to Parker. "Sorry. Wrong day to die. Plus the others weren't here to witness it, so…" he trailed off.

"Oh," said Parker casually. "Did you get a better offer?"

Jim looked down at the phone, then turned and slowly started to walk away. "You'll be hearing from me, Nightingale. You and the rest of your Trio." He strolled back around the pool towards the door through which he originally came, lifting the phone to his ear again. "So if you have what you say you have, I will make you rich. If you don't, I'll make you into shoes." Reaching the door, he raised his free hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly all the lasers focused on Parker and John disappeared. As Jim walked through the door and vanished from sight, Parker looked around the pool but could see no sign of the retreating snipers. John sighed out a relieved breath. "What happened there?" he asked.

"I dunno," Parker said. "But I think someone changed his mind. Who? How?"

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At the flat, Parker was sitting at the table in the living room updating her blog on her laptop. Lily was standing at the other side of the table drinking from a mug while leafing through a newspaper. Elizabeth was texting from her regular armchair. "What are you typing?" Elizabeth asked.

"Blog," Parker simply answered.

"About?" inquired Lily.

"Us three."

The doorbell rang. Elizabeth stood up. "Right then." She walked towards the door as she put her phone in her pocket. "So, what have we got?"

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Over the course of several weeks, people came to the Golden Trio about cases. "My wife seems to be spending a very long time at the office."

Lily sighed. "And you come to us for this?"

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"I think my husband might be having an affair."

"Deal with it yourself."

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A guy was holding a funeral urn. "She's not my real aunt. She's been replaced – I know she has. I know human ash."

Lily pointed to the door. "Creep. Leave."

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"We are prepared to offer any sum of money you care to mention for the recovery of these files," said a businessman.

"Too much like Grant," Elizabeth said distastefully.

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"We have this website," said a young man, flanked by two other boys. "It explains the true meaning of comic books, 'cause people miss a lot of the themes." Lily was already looking disinterested. "But then all the comic books started coming true." Parker looked at Lily with a face that said: 'Please, please pretty please?'

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Later, Parker was sitting in her chair and updating her blog again. She had entitled the entry 'The Geek Interpreter'. Elizabeth leaned over her shoulder. "Geek interpreter. What's that?"

"It's the title."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Hm. You were better at coming up with titles when you were in fifth grade." Parker was silent. Elizabeth straightened up and walked away.

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They were at the morgue at Bart's. Lily was using her magnifier to look at a woman's body lying on the table. Parker and Lily were standing on either side of the table and Detective Inspector Lestrade was nearby with Elizabeth. "Parker, do people actually read your blog?" Lily asked.

"Where d'you think our clients come from?"

"Elizabeth and I have a website."

"You rarely update, and it's all boring. Nobody's reading your guys' website." Lily straightened up and glared at her, then pouted momentarily as Parker continued to look at the body. "Right then: dyed blonde hair; no obvious cause of death except for these speckles, whatever they are." She pointed at the tiny red marks on the woman's body but Lily had already turned and flounced out of the room.

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Back at the flat, Parker was updating her blog again. Lily walked past eating a piece of toast. She stopped and looked at the title for the entry. "The Speckled Blonde?!" she asked with her mouth full. "You were better at coming up with titles as a teenager." Parker pursed her lips as Lily walked away again.

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Two little girls were sitting together on one of the dining chairs in the flat. "They wouldn't let us see Granddad when he was dead. Is that 'cause he'd gone to heaven?"

"The body itself doesn't go to heaven," Lily said. "The spirit goes but the body is either buried or burned."

The two girls looked at each other in distress. "Lily," Elizabeth said reprovingly.

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Lestrade was leading the Golden Trio across some open ground. "There was a plane crash in Dusseldorf yesterday," Lestrade said. "Everyone dead."

"Suspected terrorist bomb," said Lily. "We watch the news."

Lestrade looked at a bag of evidence. "Well, according to the flight details, this man was checked in on board. Inside his coat he's got a stub from his boarding pass, napkins from the flight, even one of those special biscuits. Here's his passport stamped in Berlin Airport. So this man should have died in a plane crash in Germany yesterday but instead he's in a car boot in Southwark."

"Lucky escape!" Elizabeth said.

"Any ideas?"

Lily began examining the man's hand with her magnifier. "A few." She straightened up and looked at the body again, then frowned momentarily. "Okay, very few." She turned to Lestrade and looked down at the passport and the ticket stub of the passenger, John Coniston, who was meant to be travelling on Flyaway Airways. Standing up, she gazed up into the sky. "Maybe no ideas…"

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Back at the flat, Elizabeth – wearing heavy protective gloves and safety glasses and carrying a blowtorch in one hand and a glass container of green liquid in the other – had come to the living room table to look at Parker's latest blog entry which was entitled: 'Golden Trio Baffled'. Elizabeth huffed. "Baffled," she muttered irritably.

Parker merely smiled at her laptop. "Look at that." She was looking at the hit counter on the front page of her blog. "One thousand, eight hundred and ninety-five."

"What?" Elizabeth wondered.

"I reset that counter last night. This blog has had nearly two thousand hits in the last eight hours. This is our living, Elizabeth – not people getting mutant powers from alien hail!"

"…Alien rain," Elizabeth corrected sulkily. Firing up the blowtorch, she put her safety glasses back on and headed back towards the kitchen.

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The Golden Trio was walking across the stage of a theatre while police officers milled around nearby. "So, what's this one?" Lily asked sarcastically. "Belly Button Murders?"

"The Navel Treatment?" Parker suggested.

"Eurgh!" said Lily. Elizabeth snickered.

They walked backstage and met up with Lestrade as they headed for the exit. "There's a lot of press outside, guys."

"Well, they won't be interested in us," Lily said.

"Yeah, that was before you were an internet phenomenon. A couple of them specifically wanted photographs of you three."

Lily was exasperated, glaring round at Parker. "For goodness sake!"

Parker quirked a smile as they walked on. "Well, maybe publicity isn't so good," she admitted. She spotted some costumes on a rack just inside a nearby dressing room. She walked in and grabbed a couple of items off the rack. "Guys." She tossed Lily and Elizabeth a hat each. "Urg! There aren't any hats left. Aha!" Parker walked out and had a large, black trench coat on, billowing out behind her as she strode quickly. "Cover your face and walk fast."

"Still," said Lestrade, "it's good for the public image, a big case like this."

"We have secret identities," Parker muttered, just loud enough for Elizabeth and Lily to hear. "The last thing we need is a public image."

As they stepped outside, photographers start taking as many pictures of the Golden Trio as they could.

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Lily stood outside the airport with Elizabeth and Parker. "Okay, I know it's a long time," Lily said, "but it's a one in a lifetime opportunity!"

Elizabeth continued to pout. "You'll be gone for almost a year!"

Lily sighed. "I'm gonna go to Scotland, and I'm gonna be in this play." She proceeded to hug her friends. "I'll write, I'll Skype, I'll call, I'll everything." She walked into the airport, tugging all of her suitcases behind her. "Don't have too many fun cases without me!" she called back over her shoulder.

"We won't!" Elizabeth assured.

Parker cleared her throat and turned to Elizabeth once their friend was in the airport. "John invited me over to his flat," she said. "I'll probably be back by the end of the day." Elizabeth nodded, letting Parker head off.

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Parker knocked on the door to 221B and waited for a moment. After a bit, the door was answered by John. He smiled. "Hi, Parker, er, come on in." He led Parker up the stairs. "Well, Sherlock and I just got a client, so we just need to, uh, talk to him really quick."

Parker nodded. "Alright, that's okay." The two of them stepped into the flat where

Sherlock was pacing and a man was sitting on one of the dining table chairs in the middle of the lounge. He was staring rather blankly in front of him. Sherlock looked over and spotted Parker. "Leave," he ordered simply. John shot him a looked then sat on the sofa behind the client – Phil – and Sherlock continued pacing. Sherlock sighed then turned back to the client. "Just tell us from the start. Don't be boring," he added sternly.

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A crime scene had been set up at the riverside of the death Phil had reported. A young police officer brought a mobile phone over to Detective Inspector Carter. "Sir. A phone call for you."

Carter accepted the phone. "Carter."

"Have you heard of Sherlock Holmes?" came Lestrade's voice.

"Who?"

"Well, you're about to meet him now. This is your case. It's entirely up to you. This is just friendly advice, but give Sherlock five minutes on your crime scene and listen to everything that he has to say. And as far as possible…try not to punch him."

Carter looked down in bewilderment at the phone as Lestrade ended the call. The young police officer had been leaning into the car speaking to the person in the back seat. "Okay," the officer said. He turned to Carter as he approached. "Sir, this gentleman says he needs to speak to you."

"Yes, I know." He walked closer to the car. "Sherlock Holmes."

John stepped out of the car and shook Carter's hand, Parker getting out of the other side. "John Watson and Marie Kiehof," he corrected. "Are you set up for Wi-Fi?"

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Parker and John walked around the crime scene, John carrying a computer. "Not exactly a normal way to carry out a date," John said.

An annoyed, unamused sigh came from the laptop. "Oh dear," Sherlock muttered.

John rolled his eyes. "You realise this is a tiny bit humiliating?" he said towards the Skype conversation.

"It's okay," said Sherlock, "I'm fine. Now, show me to the stream."

"I didn't really mean for you."

"Look, this is a six. There's no point in my leaving the flat for anything less than a seven. We agreed. Now, go back. Show me the grass."

John walked down to the stream and pointed the camera on his laptop towards the grass at the stream's edge and squatted down. "When did we agree that?"

"We agreed it yesterday. Stop! Closer."

Instead of following his instructions, John swung the laptop around so that he could look into the camera. "I wasn't even at home yesterday. I was in Dublin."

"Well, it's hardly my fault you weren't listening."

"D'you just carry on talking when I'm away?"

"I don't know. How often are you away? Now, show me the car that backfired."

Sighing, John stood up and turned the laptop and its camera towards the road to show Phil's car. He mouthed a quick sorry to Parker and Parker smiled reassuringly. "It's there," John said.

"That's the one that made the noise, yes?"

John swung the camera back around to look into it. "Yeah. And if you're thinking gunshot, there wasn't one. He wasn't shot; he was killed by a single blow to the back of the head from a blunt instrument which then magically disappeared along with the killer. That's gotta be an eight at least."

As John and Parker walked back towards the road, Carter was following along behind him. "You've got two more minutes," Carter said, "then I want to know more about the driver."

"Oh, forget him," said Sherlock. "He's an idiot. Why else would he think himself a suspect?"

Carter caught up to John and leaned over to look into the camera. "I think he's a suspect!"

"Pass me over," Sherlock ordered.

"All right," John said, "but there's a Mute button and I will use it." He tilted the laptop at an angle that Sherlock was not happy with.

"Up a bit!" Sherlock said irritatedly. "I'm not talking from down 'ere!"

John had enough and offered the laptop to Carter. "Okay, just take it, take it."  
Carter takes the laptop as John walked away with Parker.

"Sorry about all this," John said.

Parker shrugged. "Oh, it's fine. I've had to deal with Lily, so after that I can handle just about anyone."

John smiled. "Not Sherlock."

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Elizabeth answered the door and found two men standing outside. "Excuse us, Ms. Pennies," said one of the men, "but you'll need to come with us."

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As the screen went black, John poked at the keyboard frantically. "I've lost him. I don't know what…"

The young police officer hurried over to him with a phone pressed to his ear. "Doctor Watson and Doctor Kiehof?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Parker.

"It's for you."

"Okay, thanks," said John. Still looking at the screen, he held out his hand for the phone.

"Uh, no. The helicopter." Parker and John both turned and look at the helicopter which was just coming in to land at the edge of the river.

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Parker and John had been shown into an enormous ornate hall with massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They looked around for a moment, then followed their escort who gestured them to a nearby room before walking away. On a small round table in the middle of the room was the pile of clothes and shoes which had been put down in front of none other than Sherlock Holmes. There was a sofa either side of the table and sitting on the left-hand one was Sherlock, still wrapped in his sheet. On the right-hand one was Elizabeth, looking unamused at Sherlock. They both looked across to Parker and John. Parker raised an eyebrow and John held out his hands in a "What the heck?!" gesture. Sherlock shrugged disinterestedly and looked away again. Nodding in a resigned way, John walked slowly into the room, then sat down on the sofa beside his friend. Parker stood awkwardly for a moment before taking a seat across from John and by Elizabeth. John gazed in front of himself for a moment, chewing back a giggle, looked around the room again and then looked at Sherlock, peering closely at his sheet and particularly the section wrapped around his backside. He turned his head away again.

"Are you wearing any pants?"

"No."

"Okay."

He sighed quietly as Elizabeth and Parker exchanged glances. A moment later, Sherlock turned and looked at John just as John also turned to look. Their eyes met and they promptly burst out laughing.

John gestured around the building as he spoke. "At Buckingham Palace, fine." He tried to get himself under control. "Oh, I'm seriously fighting an impulse to steal an ashtray." Sherlock chuckled again and Parker quirked a smile. "What are we all doing here? Seriously, what?"

"I don't know," spoke up Elizabeth.

"Here to see the Queen?" John asked.

At that moment Mycroft Holmes walked in from the next room, followed by Wesley Kiehof. "Oh, apparently yes," said Sherlock.

John cracked up again and Sherlock promptly joined in. The two of them continued to giggle as Mycroft looked at them in exasperation. "Just once, can you two behave like grown-ups?"

"We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope," said John. Parker didn't manage hold back a giggle and Wesley looked towards her.

Sherlock looked up at his brother as Mycroft walked into the room, all humour gone from his face. "I was in the middle of a case, Mycroft," Sherlock said.

"What, the hiker and the backfire? I glanced at the police report. Bit obvious, surely?"

"Transparent." John looked a bit startled.

"Time to move on, then," Mycoft said. He bent down and picked up the clothes and shoes from the table, turning to offer them to Sherlock. His brother gazed at them uninterestedly. Mycroft sighed. "We are in Buckingham Palace, the very heart of the British nation." His tone became very stern. "Sherlock Holmes, put your trousers on."

Sherlock shrugged. "What for?"

"Your client." Mycroft looked around the room at everyone. "For all of you."

Elizabeth and Parker exchanged confused looks. Sherlock stood up. "All of us? Are you saying we…work together?"

"Is that a problem?" Wesley asked.

Sherlock huffed. "It's merely John and I. I do not need help from two girls who still act like teenagers." He turned to Mycroft. "And my client is?"

"Illustrious…" came a voice. Everyone turned to look at the woman who had just walked into the room. "…in the extreme." John stood up respectfully and Elizabeth and Parker hesitantly copied his actions. "And remaining – I have to inform you – entirely anonymous." She looked across to Mycroft and Wesley. "Mycroft! Wesley!"

Wesley nodded. "Faith." Smiling, he walked over and shook the Faith's hand.

Mycroft also went to shake her hand. "May I just apologise for the state of my little brother?"

"Full-time occupation, I imagine," said Faith. Sherlock scowled. "And this must be Doctor John Watson, formerly of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers."

"Hello, yes."

They shook hands. Faith turned to Elizabeth. "Ms. Elizabeth Pennies, Wonder, a member of the Golden Trio." Elizabeth opened her mouth to deny it but Faith held up a hand. "No worries, everyone in this room knows it, and it shall not leave this room." Elizabeth nodded.

Faith stepped towards Parker. "Ms. Marie Kiehof, Nightingale, another member of the Golden Trio."

Faith walked closer to Sherlock as she spoke. "And Mr. Holmes the younger. You look taller in your photographs."

"I take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend." Looking round momentarily at John, he walked abruptly past him, forcing him to step back, and approached his brother. "Mycroft, I don't do anonymous clients. I'm used to mystery at one end of my cases. Both ends is too much work." He looked round to Faith. "Good morning."

He started to walk out of the room but Mycroft stepped onto the trailing edge of the sheet behind him. Sherlock's impetus carried him forward while pulling the sheet off his body. He stopped and grabbed at it before he was completely naked and tried to tug it back around himself, looking furious. Parker and Elizabeth looked away somewhat embarrassed. "This is a matter of national importance," Mycroft said. "Grow up."

With his back still turned to his brother, Sherlock spoke through gritted teeth. "Get off my sheet!"

"Or what?"

"…Or I'll just walk away."

"I'll let you," said Mycroft calmly.

Luckily, John stepped in to save the day. "Boys, please. Not here." He glanced at Parker apologetically.

Sherlock was almost incandescent with rage. "Who. Is. My. Client?"

"Take a look at where you're standing and make a deduction," Mycroft said. "You are to be engaged by the highest in the land. Now for Pete's sake…" He broke off and glanced at the Wesley briefly, trying to get his anger under control before he turned back to his brother again. "…put your clothes on!"

Sherlock closed his eyes furiously, then pulled in a sharp breath.

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Some time later, Sherlock had dressed and was sitting on the sofa again beside John. Mycroft, Wesley, and Faith sat in sone chairs that had been pulled up. Mycroft was pouring tea from a teapot. He looked at Faith and smiled. "I'll be mother," he said.

"And there is a whole childhood in a nutshell," Sherlock said pointedly. Mycroft glowered at him, then put the teapot down.

Faith looked at Sherlock. "My employer has a problem."

"A matter has come to light of an extremely delicate and potentially criminal nature, and in this hour of need," said Wesley, looking at Parker, "sister of mine, your name has arisen along with Mr. Holmes's here."

"Why?" Sherlock asked. "You obviously work along side my brother so you have a police force of sorts, even a marginally Secret Service. Why come to me?"

"We came to all of you," Faith said, looking across the group, "people do come to you for help, don't they, Mr. Holmes? Ms. Pennies?"

"Not, to date, anyone with a Navy," Sherlock said.

"This is a matter of the highest security," said Mycroft, "and therefore of trust."

"You don't trust your own Secret Service?" Parker asked.

"Naturally not," answered Wesley. "They all spy on people for money." John bit back a smile as he exchanged glanced with Parker.

"I do think we have a timetable," said Faith.

"Yes, of course," Mycroft said. "Um…" He opened his briefcase, took out a glossy photograph and handed it to Sherlock who looked at the picture of Irene Adler. "What do you know about this woman?"

"Nothing whatsoever," Sherlock answered truthfully.

"Then you should be paying more attention. She's been at the centre of two political scandals in the last year, and recently ended the marriage of a prominent novelist by having an affair with both participants separately."

"You know I don't concern myself with trivia. Who is she?"

"Irene Adler," Wesley answered, "professionally known as The Woman."

"Professionally?" Elizabeth asked.

"There are many names for what she does," said Mycroft. "She prefers 'dominatrix'."

"Dominatrix," Sherlock said thoughtfully.

"Don't be alarmed. It's to do with sex." Parker coughed awkwardly and went scarlet red. Elizabeth looked around the room as if trying to avoid the subject. Wesley turned to Parker and raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Sex doesn't alarm me," Sherlock said.

Mycroft smiled snidely at him. "How would you know?" Sherlock raised his head and stared at his brother. Parker was a deep scarlet at this line and even Elizabeth was going pink. Mycroft ignored it. "She provides – shall we say – recreational scolding for those who enjoy that sort of thing and are prepared to pay for it." He took more photographs from his briefcase and handed them to Sherlock. "These are all from her website."

Sherlock took the photographs and leafed through them. They were professional-looking publicity shots for her 'services' and showed Irene at her glamorous best. "And I assume this Adler woman has some compromising photographs," Sherlock said.

"You're very quick, Mr. Holmes," said Faith.

"Hardly a difficult deduction," he said. "Photographs of whom?"

"A person of significance to my employer," Faith replied. "We'd prefer not to say any more at this time."

Glaring at her angrily, Sherlock put the photographs down on the table. "You can't tell us anything?" John said.

"I can tell you it's a young person," Wesley replied. John drank from his teacup. "A young…female person." John's eyes widened.

Sherlock smirked. "How many photographs?

"A considerable number, apparently," Wesley said.

"Do Miss Adler and this young female person appear in these photographs together?" Sherlock asked.

"Yes, they do."

"And I assume in a number of compromising scenarios."

"An imaginative range," Mycroft said, "we are assured."

Without looking round at him, Sherlock realised that John was staring blankly at Mycroft with his teacup still half raised. "John, you might want to put that cup back in your saucer now." John quickly did as was advised.

"Can you help us, Mr. Holmes?" Faith asked. She turned to Elizabeth and Parker. "Ms. Pennies?"

"How?" Elizabeth asked.

"Will you take the case?" wondered Faith.

"What case?" Sherlock asked. "Pay her, now and in full. As Miss Adler remarks in her masthead, 'Know when you are beaten'." He turned and reached for his overcoat which was draped on the back of the sofa.

"She doesn't want anything," Wesley said. Sherlock turned back towards him. "She got in touch, she informed us that the photographs existed, she indicated that she had no intention to use them to extort either money or favour."

Sherlock was finally interested for the first time about this case. "Oh, a power play. A power play with the most powerful family in Britain. Now that is a dominatrix. Ooh, this is getting rather fun, isn't it?"

"Sherlock…" John warned.

"Hmm." He turned around and reached for his coat again. "Where is she?"

"Uh, in London currently," Mycroft said. "She's staying–"

Not waiting for him to finish, Sherlock picked up his coat, stood, and started to walk away. "Text me the details. I'll be in touch by the end of the day." The other three men and Faith got to their feet. Elizabeth and Parker stood up quickly after.

Faith looked skeptical. "Do you really think you'll have news by then?" she asked.

Sherlock turned back to her. "No, I think I'll have the photographs."

"One can only hope you're as good as you seem to think."

Sherlock looked at her sharply, indignant that she should doubt him. Sherlock glanced down Faith's body, mentally rattling off deductions.

_Dog Lover_

_Raises Goats_

_Horse Rider_

_Late Riser_

_Single_

_Gamer_

_Non-Smoker_

_Mother Half Welsh_

_Keen Reader_

_Tea Drinker_

Sherlock looked across to Mycroft and Wesley. "I'll need some equipment, of course."

"Anything you require. Make sure you share information with Ms. Pennies and Ms. Kiehof. I'll have everything sent to–"

Sherlock turned to Faith and interrupted. "Can I have a box of matches?

"I'm sorry?" said Faith.

"Or your cigarette lighter. Either will do." He held out his hand expectantly.

"I don't smoke."

"No, I know you don't, but your employer does."

After a pause during which Parker, Elizabeth, and John frowned in puzzlement, Faith reached into her pocket and took out a lighter which she handed to Sherlock. "We have kept a lot of people successfully in the dark about this little fact, Mr. Holmes."

"I'm not the Commonwealth." Taking the lighter and putting it into his trouser pocket, he turned away.

John turned to Faith. "And that's as modest as he gets. Pleasure to meet you." He glanced at Parker apologetically before following after Sherlock as he strolled out of the room.

"La'erz!" Sherlock called back.

John threw another apologetic glance over his shoulder as they left. Parker and Elizabeth looked at each other. "We should probably follow them," Parker suggested.

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "Yeah, probably."

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Elizabeth and Parker stood around in their flat, waiting for any sign or indication if where the detective and the blogger were headed. Parker's phone trilled a text alert and she fished it out quickly. "It's John," she announced. Elizabeth looked up. "It says: Heading towards Ms. Adler's house. Care to join?" She looked up at Elizabeth, who grinned, and they rushed out of the flat, hailing a taxi.

After about ten minutes, Elizabeth glanced out of the cab window and saw what she thought looked a lot like Sherlock and John. Wait…it was them. "Just here please," she told the cabbie, and the car pulled over.

Parker looked towards her friend in confusion. "We're still two streets away," she said.

Elizabeth jerked her head towards where she spotted the two flatmates not far up the road. "I know; I just spotted your boyfriend," she said, smirking and emphasising the previous word, getting an eye roll and a sigh from Parker, "and his flatmate talking not too far up the street." She shrugged. "I supposed we should check it out." She started down the pavement with Parker right behind.

When they came near to where Sherlock and John were, they heard lots of scuffling, and this:

"Okay!" came a voice that clearly belonged to Sherlock. It was a bit hard to tell considering it sounded like he was being half-strangled. "I think we're done now, John."

"You wanna remember, Sherlock: I was a soldier. I killed people," came angry, slightly savage, unmistakably John's voice.

"You were a doctor!"

"I had bad days!"

Elizabeth and Parker rounded a corner to see that in the street, Sherlock was doubled over with John on his back half-strangling him. John's face was contorted with pent-up anger and frustration, and Sherlock was struggling to pull his hands off him. They both toppled over. Elizabeth couldn't help but snigger.

And with a slight smirk on her face and an amused look in her eyes, Parker's jaw slackened a bit. "Having fun, boys?" she eventually said.

The two men looked up at the two women and John immediately scrambled to his feet and tried to hopelessly cover up the situation. Sherlock stood up and brushed dirt off of his clothes. John cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. "Oh! Heh…Parker, Elizabeth, hi. Erm…we, uh…we were just…well…um–"

Elizabeth laughed. "Okay, okay, no need to defend yourself," she said. "We should head off to Ms. Adler's house, shall we not?"

Sherlock scoffed. "You aren't going to come, how will we all get into her house? There are too many of us."

Parker thought about it for a moment. You could almost see the lightbulb go off above her head. "We were all going to the cinemas when we were confronted by a gang and we – mainly Sherlock here – were mugged."

Sherlock rolled his eyes. "And why would we all be going to the cinemas? Such a feeble cover story won't work," he said irritably.

Parker pretended to think about it with exaggerated hand movements. "Hm…I dunno! Let's see…Well, there four of us: two guys, two girls. What do they call those things where guys and girls go the a movie together…hm. Oh! Yes! A date! Ah, yes, that'll be our cover story! We were going on a double date."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her friend. "But…you would be paired up with John, obviously…" Her eyes slowly crossed over to look at Sherlock.

Parker sighed. "For goodness sake, Elizabeth, it isn't real! Don't worry!" As they began to walk off, she muttered, "I just hope I still have acting skills left over from when I was a teen."

-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-;-;-:-:-

An intercom buzzed. A woman – Kate – went downstairs and activated it, looking at the camera footage from the front door. "Hello?"

Sherlock stared into the camera wide-eyed and flustered. He spoke in an anxious, tearful voice and kept looking around behind him as he was talking. "Ooh! Um, sorry to disturb you. Um, I was heading to the cinemas with, uh, my…er…friends here and we've just been attacked, um, and, um, I think they…they took my wallet and, um, and my phone. Umm, please could you help me?"

Kate was trying to hold back her laughter as she had been listening to him. "I can phone the police if you want," Kate said.

"Thank you," Sherlock said tearfully, "thank you! Could you, please?" He took a step back. "Oh, would you…would you mind if I just waited here, just until they come? Thank you. Thank you so much." Holding a handkerchief to his cheek, he started to grizzle pathetically. Grinning, Kate buzzed him in. Sherlock came in, followed by the others. Elizabeth was being supported by Parker because of her scraped knee. Sherlock remained in character. "Thank you," he said. "He briefly looked around the large entrance hall. "Er, ooh!"

John closed the door once they were all inside. "I – I was there when it happened," he said. "It's okay, we're doctors," he said, gesturing towards Parker. Kate nodded. "Now, have you got a first aid kit?" John asked.

"In the kitchen," answered Kate. She gestured for Sherlock and Elizabeth to go into the front room. "Please," she insisted.

"Oh!" Sherlock said. "Thank you!"

"Thank you," said Parker. She and John followed Kate as she headed for the kitchen.

**Tada! Tell me what you think! :D**


	14. Chapter 14

14: Scandal - Part II

**Quick question for everyone reading. For season three should I put Parker in the place of Mary or should I do a Parker/another OC thing and probably never see Sherlock or John in this story again unless I find a place to sneak them in? Just tell me what you think should happen. Thanks!**

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Superheroes and detectives, unite! :D**

**Ready aim fire (guest) - You've gotta love Moriarty's voice.**

**SH (guest) - I heard they made one but I haven't seen it yet.**

**Enjoy!**

Shortly afterwards, Sherlock had taken off his coat and was sitting on a sofa in the elegant sitting room and looking around. Elizabeth was in a large armchair nearby. As they heard footsteps approaching, Sherlock sat up a little and held the handkerchief to his cheek. Elizabeth grabbed the area around her knee.

"Hello," came a voice. "Sorry to hear that you two have been hurt. I don't think Kate caught your names."

"I'm so sorry," Sherlock said. "We're…" He turned and looked at Irene Adler as she walked into view and stopped at the doorway. His voice failed him as he realised that, with the exception of high-heeled shoes, she was stark naked. His jaw dropped a little and Elizabeth immediately hid her face as soon as she could.

"Oh, it's always hard to remember an alias when you've had a fright, isn't it?" Irene said. She walked into the room and stood directly in front of Sherlock, straddling his legs and half-kneeling on the sofa, then reaches forward and pulled the white plastic from his shirt collar. "There now – we're both defrocked…" She smiled down at him. "…Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

"Miss Adler, I presume," Sherlock said calmly in his normal voice.

Irene gazed down at his face. "Look at those cheekbones. I could cut myself slapping that face. Would you like me to try?" Elizabeth sniggered and both people in the room ignored it. Narrowing her eyes, Irene lifted the white plastic to her mouth and bit down on it.

As Sherlock stared up at her in confusion, Parker walked into the room carrying a bowl of water and John right behind with a fabric napkin. Parker's eyes were lowered to the bowl to avoid spilling its contents. "Right, this should do it." She lifted her eyes and saw the scene in front of her, and without braking her stride, handed the bowl to John, turned on her heel, and strode away quickly, face furiously red. Irene looked round to her and John when Parker had entered, the plastic still in her teeth. She watched Nightingale walk away and John looked at Irene awkwardly, then down at the bowl he was given before looking up again. "I've missed something, haven't I?"

Irene took the plastic from her teeth. "Please, sit down. Maybe even get that friend of yours to get back here." She stepped back from Sherlock, who fidgeted uncomfortably on the sofa as Irene walked away. "Oh, if you'd like some tea I can call the maid."

"I had some at the Palace."

"I know." She sat down in a nearby armchair and crossed her legs, folding her arms gracefully to obscure the view of her chest.

"Clearly," said Sherlock. They stared silently at each other for several seconds, weighing each other up. Elizabeth raised her head from her lap and she and John looked at them awkwardly.

"We had a tea, too," said John, "Elizabeth, Parker, and I, at the Palace, if anyone's interested." Sherlock's eyes were still fixed on Irene as he attempted to make as many deductions as he could about her. His final analysis was:

_?_

Bewildered, he turned and looked at John and started to analyse him.

_Two Day Shirt_

_Electric not blade_

_Date tonight_

John frowned as Sherlock looked away and at Elizabeth.

_Electric toothbrush_

_New shirt_

_Late night out with friend(s)_

Relieved that he hadn't had a brain embolism, Sherlock slowly turned his head and looked at Irene again. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he applied all his deductive reasoning as she smiled confidently back at him, and he quickly came to the conclusion:

_?_

He frowned. "D'you know the big problem with a disguise, Mr. Holmes?" Irene inquired. He quirked an eyebrow at her. "However hard you try, it's always a self-portrait."

"You think I'm a vicar with a bleeding face?"

"No, I think you're damaged, delusional and believe in a higher power. In your case, it's yourself." Finally fed up with the tightness of his shirt, Sherlock started unbuttoning the top two buttons. Irene leaned forward. "Oh, and somebody loves you. Why, if I had to punch that face, I'd avoid your nose and teeth too."

She glanced across to John momentarily. John forced a laugh. "Could you put something on, please? Er, anything at all." He looked down at what he was holding. "A napkin."

"Why?" asked Adler. "Are you feeling exposed?"

Sherlock stood up. "I don't think John knows where to look," he said. He picked up his coat, shook it out and held it out to Irene. Ignoring him for the moment, she stood up and walked closer to John, who rolled his head on his neck uncomfortably and forced himself to maintain eye contact with her and not to let his eyes wander lower.

"No, I think he knows exactly where." She turned to Sherlock who was still holding out the coat while steadfastly keeping his gaze averted. Irene took the coat from him as she spoke. "I'm not sure about you."

"If I wanted to look at naked women I'd borrow John's laptop," said Sherlock. Elizabeth coughed awkwardly.

"You do borrow my laptop," John said.

"I confiscate it," Sherlock corrected. He walked over to the fireplace opposite the sofa.

Irene put the coat on and wrapped it around herself. "Well, never mind. We've got better things to talk about. Now tell me – I need to know." She walked over to the sofa and sat down. "How was it done?"

"What?" wondered Elizabeth.

Irene took her shoes off. "The hiker with the bashed-in head. How was he killed?"

Everyone looked confused. "That's not why we're here," said Sherlock.

"No, no, no, you're here for the photographs but that's never gonna happen, and since we're here just chatting anyway–"

"That story's not been on the news yet," John said. "How do you know about it?"

"I know one of the policemen," said Irene with a shrug. "Well, I know what he likes."

"Oh." He sat down beside her. "And you like policemen?"

"I like detective stories – and detectives. Brainy's the new sexy."

"Positionofthecar…" Sherlock said incoherently. John and Elizabeth turned their heads and stared at him as he pulled himself together. Sherlock started to pace slowly. "Er, the position of the car relative to the hiker at the time of the backfire. That and the fact that the death blow was to the back of the head. That's all you need to know."

"Okay, tell me: how was he murdered?"

"He wasn't."

"You don't think it was murder?"

"I know it wasn't."

"How?"

"The same way that I know the victim was an excellent sportsman recently returned from foreign travel and that the photographs I'm looking for are in this room."

Irene shifted a bit. "Okay, but how?"

"So they are in this room. Thank you. John, man the door. Let no one in. Ms. Pennies, go collect your embarrassed friend and leave."

Sherlock and John exchanged a significant look, then John got up and put the bowl and napkin on a table before leaving the room and closing the door behind him; after Elizabeth had stepped out of course. In the hallway he looked around, then picked up a magazine from a nearby table and rolled it up. Back in the sitting room, Irene sat up straighter, looking suspiciously at the closed door.

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Later, out in the hall, John had set light to the end of the rolled-up magazine, blown it mostly out again and allowed the smoke to drift upwards. He waved his hand over the magazine and blew on it to try to put it out completely. In the sitting room, Irene turned and looked at the large mirror over the fireplace. Sherlock turned his head and followed her gaze. "Thank you," he said. "On hearing a smoke alarm, a mother would look towards her child. Amazing how fire exposes our priorities." He walked over to the fireplace and began running his fingers underneath the mantelpiece. Finding a switch under there, he pressed it and the mirror slid upwards, revealing a small wall safe behind it. Sherlock turned and looked at Irene as she stood up. "Really hope you don't have a baby in here. All right, John," he called out, "you can turn it off now."

In the hall, John was still trying to put out the smouldering magazine. "I said you can turn it off now," Sherlock said loudly.

"Give me a minute!" He started thwacking the end of the magazine on the table, but then looked round as four men and one woman ran down the stairs. One had a gun pointed at Parker and another had his pistol aimed at Elizabeth. The woman raised an enormous pistol – the silencer of which was so long that she must be compensating for some other shortcoming – and fired it up at the smoke alarm, shattering it. The beeping stopped. One of the other men hurried towards John, aiming his pistol at him and John instantly raised his hands, looking at the woman as she walked over and stopped in front of him. "Thank you," he said.

In the sitting room Sherlock was looking closely at the number pad on the front of the safe. He bit his lip. "Hmm. Should always use gloves with these things, you know. Heaviest oil deposit's always on the first key used – that's quite clearly the three – but after that the sequence is almost impossible to read. I'd say from the make that it's a six digit code. Can't be your birthday – no disrespect but clearly you were born in the eighties; the eight's barely used, so…"

"I'd tell you the code right now," said Irene, "but you know what? I already have." Sherlock frowned at her. "Think."

The door burst open and the leader of the group, who was none other then Faith from the Palace, came in and aimed her pistol at Sherlock. "Hands behind your head," she ordered. She turned to Irene. "On the floor. Keep it still."

Another man went over to Irene and walked her nearer to John, Elizabeth, and Parker, who were being bundled in by a three other men. "Sorry, Sherlock," John apologised.

As Sherlock raised his hands, Faith looked round at Irene. "Ms. Adler, on the floor," she said sternly. Faith's colleague shoved Irene to her knees beside John who had also been pushed to his knees along with the two heroes and was doubled over with his hands behind his head and a pistol pointed to the back of his neck.

Sherlock raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want me on the floor too?"

"No, sir," said Faith, "I want you to open the safe."

Sherlock clocked her accent. "American. Interesting. Why would you care?" He glanced across at Irene as she put her hands behind her head.

"Sir, the safe, now, please."

"I don't know the code."

"We've been listening. She said she told you."

"Well, if you'd been listening, you'd know she didn't."

Faith sighed irritably. "I'm assuming I missed something. From your reputation, I'm assuming you didn't, Mr. Holmes."

"Oh, for goodness sake!" said Elizabeth. "She's the one who knows the code," she jerked her head towards Irene. "Ask her!"

"Yes, ma'am," said Faith. "She also knows the code that automatically calls the police and sets off the burglar alarm. I've learned not to trust this woman."

Irene tried to speak up. "Mr. Holmes doesn't–"

"Shut. Up," Faith said viciously. "One more word out of you – just one – and I will decorate that wall with the insides of your head. That, for me, will not be a hardship." Sherlock glared at her ferociously. "Mr. Archer. At the count of three, shoot Doctor Watson."

"What?!" exclaimed John.

"I don't have the code," Sherlock insisted.

John cowered down as Archer pressed the muzzle of his pistol into the back of his neck and cocked the gun. "One."

"I don't know the code," Sherlock said emphatically.

"Two."

"She didn't tell me." He raised his voice. "I don't know it!"

"I'm prepared to believe you any second now." Sherlock looked across to Irene who lowered her gaze pointedly downwards. "Three!"

"No, stop!"

Faith held up her free hand to stop Archer. John closed his eyes. Parker breathed out a sigh of relief. Sherlock's gaze became distant as his mind worked frantically, then he slowly turned towards the safe and lowered his hands. As Faith watched him closely, he slowly reached out a finger towards the keypad and punched the '3' and then the '2'. Hesitating for a moment, he then punched '2' and '4'. Pausing again, he hit '3' and '4'. The safe beeped and noisily unlocked. Irene smiled in satisfaction as Sherlock sighed and closed his eyes briefly. John sagged lower on his knees and shut his own eyes.

Faith smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Holmes. Open it, please."

Twisting the button that would open the door, Sherlock looked across to Irene again who lowered her gaze to the floor and made a tiny jerk with her head. He turned back to the safe. "Vatican cameos," he said clearly. Instantly, John threw himself to the floor. At the same moment Sherlock pulled open the door of the safe while ducking down below the fireplace.

Inside the safe, a tripwire attached to the door tugged on the trigger of a pistol with an equally long and over-compensatory silencer which was aimed straight out of the safe. The gun fired and Archer – who happened to be standing directly in front of it – was shot in the chest. Sherlock grabbed for Faith's pistol as Irene spun around on her knees and savagely elbowed her guard in the groin. Elizabeth whipped around and blasted a hand-beam right into the chest if the man standing over her. Pulling the pistol from Faith's grip, Sherlock held the silencer end and smashed the butt across her face and Faith dropped to the floor unconscious. Parker used her telekinesis to smash a very large, very heavy vase into her guard's head. As Irene's guard crumpled under her blow, she grappled for his pistol and was on her feet and aiming it down at him while he was still falling.

Sherlock turned to her. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

As her guard tried to get up again, she slammed the gun across his face and knocked him unconscious. While she was distracted, Sherlock reached into the safe and took something out of it. Nearby, John had checked Archer over and stood up. "He's dead," he announced.

Irene spoke to Sherlock as she continued aiming her pistol down at her guard. "Thank you. You were very observant."

"Observant?" Elizabeth wondered.

"I'm flattered."

"Don't be."

"Flattered?" John asked.

"There'll be more of them," said Sherlock. "They'll be keeping a eye on the building." Still holding Faith's pistol but having removed the silencer, he hurried out of the room as John tucked Archer's gun into the back of his jeans and followed him. Elizabeth and Parker exchanged a few words and glances before Parker took the pistol from the unconscious man's hand, and they stepped out. Once everyone had left, Irene went over to the safe and stared into it wide-eyed.

Sherlock trotted out onto the street with John behind him. "We should call the police," John advised.

"Yes," Sherlock agreed. Pointing the pistol into the air, he fired it five times. Nearby, tyres screeched. "On their way." He turned and trotted back into the house.

"For Pete's sake!"

"Oh, shut up. It's quick." Sherlock went back into the sitting room as Irene turned around from the safe. "Check the rest of the house," Sherlock told John. Parker and Elizabeth walked in. "See how they got in." As John headed off with Parker following, Sherlock took the item which he just stole from the safe out of his pocket and tossed it nonchalantly into the air. "Well, that's the knighthood in the bag."

"Ah," said Irene. "And that's mine." She held out her hand. Ignoring her, Sherlock switched on the security lock on the phone he was holding. It required four letters or numbers to activate it and it had "I AM" above the four spaces and "LOCKED" below them.

"All the photographs are on here, I presume."

"I have copies, of course."

"No you don't," said Elizabeth and Irene turned towards her. Sherlock glanced at her and she continued to speak to Irene. "You'll have permanently disabled any kind of uplink or connection. Unless the contents of this phone are provably unique, you wouldn't be able to sell them."

Irene lowered her hand. "Who said I'm selling?"

Sherlock looked at the dead and unconscious bodies lying on the floor. "Well, why would they be interested?" he asked, stealing Elizabeth's thunder. "Whatever's on the phone, it's clearly not just photographs."

"That camera phone is my life, Mr. Holmes. I'd die before I let you take it." She walked closer and held her hand out again. "It's my protection."

"Sherlock!" called out John.

Sherlock pulled the phone back and looked at Irene pointedly. "It was," he corrected. He turned and left the room. Irene chased after him.

Upstairs in the bedroom, Parker was kneeling over the silent figure of Kate lying on the floor. Putting her ear to her mouth to check her breathing, she straightened up and took her pulse. Standing up, she glanced at the people entering the room and John went into the en suite bathroom and looked at the open window in there. Sherlock came into the bedroom followed by Elizabeth and Irene. "Must have come in this way," John said.

"Clearly," said Sherlock. He went into the bathroom to look out of the window as Irene walked anxiously towards Kate.

"It's all right," Parker assured. "She's just out cold."

"Well, she's used to that. There's a back door. Better check it," she said, glancing across everyone. Sherlock came out of the bathroom and nodded to John.

"Sure," John said. He left the room as Irene went over to the dressing table, opened a drawer and covertly took two syringes out of it. Sherlock was looking at the camera phone and Parker was watching Elizabeth go after John; neither of them noticed Irene take it out.

"You're very calm," said Parker. Irene looked round at her blankly and Sherlock glanced at her briefly. "Well, your booby trap did just kill a man," she said to Irene. She turned to Sherlock. "And you just attacked a woman."

"He would have killed me," said Irene. "It was self defence in advance."

"Gender doesn't matter in situations like these," Sherlock said to Parker.

Walking across to Sherlock, Irene stroked her hand down his left arm. As he looked down at her hand she stepped around behind him and stabbed one of the syringes into his right arm. He gasped and spun around, trying to grab at it. Parker stepped back in shock. "What?" asked Sherlock. "What is that? What…?" As his face turned towards her again, she slapped him hard. He stumbled and fell to the floor.

Parker rushed forward to apprehend Irene when she whipped around and did the same to her with the other syringe. Parker stumbled back when Irene gave her a simple, small shove. Irene turned to Sherlock and held out her hand to him. "Give it to me. Now. Give it to me."

Sherlock's vision was going fuzzy. Grunting, he tried to get back to his feet. "No."

"Give it to me."

Starting to lose control of his muscles, Sherlock slumped to his hands and knees, still holding onto the phone. "No."

"Oh, for goodness sake," muttered Irene. Parker fell to the ground in a heap, fighting to stay conscious. Irene picked up her riding crop from the dressing table and wielded it at Sherlock. "Drop it," she said sternly. Sherlock continued trying to struggle to his feet. "I–" she thrashed him, "–said–" she thrashed him again, "–drop it!" She struck him a third time and he fell to the floor, unintentionally dropping the phone. "Ah. Thank you, dear."

As Sherlock lied on his back unable to move, she picked up the phone and typed on it, standing over Sherlock and looking down at him smugly. "Now tell that sweet little posh thing the pictures are safe with me. They're not for blackmail, just for insurance." She put the phone into the pocket of Sherlock's coat which she was still wearing. "Besides, I might want to see her again." Grunting, Sherlock tried to get up. Irene pressed him back down to the floor with the end of her crop. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's been a pleasure. Don't spoil it." She gently stroked the end of the crop against his face. "This is how I want you to remember me. The woman who beat you."

Sherlock's vision was becoming more fuzzy. "Goodnight, Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

She headed for the bathroom just as John and Elizabeth walked back into the bedroom. "Wha'?!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"He'll sleep for a few hours. Make sure he doesn't choke on his own vomit. It makes for a very unattractive corpse. Same goes for the girl." She sat on the windowsill in the bathroom, put her feet up on the edge of the bath and took hold of a cord hanging from the ledge.

Elizabeth picked up the syringe lying on the floor near Parker. "What's this? What have you given her? Parker!"

"They'll be fine," Irene reassured. "I've used it on loads of my friends."

John knelt and looked down at his flatmate. "Sherlock, can you hear me?"

"You know," said Irene, "I was wrong about him. He did know where to look."

John went over to Parker and check her over but continued to talk to Irene. "For what?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"The key code to my safe."

"What was it?" Elizabeth wondered.

Irene looked down to Sherlock who was gazing at her barely conscious but still trying in vain to get up. "Shall I tell them?" Elizabeth dropped next to her friend, trying to test her coherency. John looked over at his flatmate for a moment then stood up and turned back to Irene just as sirens announce the arrival of the police. Irene smiled at him. "My measurements." And with that she pushed her feet against the edge of the bath and toppled backwards out of the window, still holding what looked like a cord but was apparently more like a thin rope. John hurried over to the window and looked out while Sherlock still tried vainly to lift himself up but continued to fall back helplessly.

Elizabeth gently slapped Parker's face. "Hey, stay awake." She picked up the syringe again and looked at it for a bit before throwing it back to the floor. "Parker? Parker, blink three times if you can here me." Parker wanted to blink, she really did. She understood what was happening, even though everything was a bit fuzzy. Her hearing began to white out and she fell unconscious.

Parker remembered a few, vague things. She remembered Elizabeth helping her into a police car and she remembered someone videoing her on Elizabeth's phone. She heard mixed and mumbled voices, none of which making a whole lot of sense.

Parker jerked back into consciousness and found herself alone and in bed in her own bedroom, fully clothed and covered with a sheet. She lifted her head. "'Liz'b'th? She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Elizabeth!" she said louder.

In the living room, Elizabeth looked round towards Parker's room. Parker threw the sheet off and kneeled up on the bed, then promptly lost her balance, fell forward, and rolled over the foot of the bed and onto the floor. Elizabeth opened the bedroom door and came in as she sat up. "You okay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How did I get here?" Parker asked, ignoring the question.

"Well, I don't suppose you remember much," said Elizabeth, rubbing the back of her neck. "You weren't making a lot of sense. Oh, and I had Sergeant Donovan film you on my phone and I'm sending it to Lily. To be completely honest, you were acting hilarious."

Parker got to her feet. "Where are they?"

"Where's who?"

"Them! And the woman. That woman."

"Who? What woman?"

Parker stumbled around the room aimlessly. "Sherlock. John. The woman. _The woman woman_!"

"What, Irene Adler? She got away. No one saw her." Parker stumbled over to the window and opened it, looking around. "John said he'll visit later and see how you're doing." Turning around, Parker promptly fell down again and started to drag herself across the floor. "What are you…?" Elizabeth wondered. "What…? No, no, no, no." She hauled Parker up and dropped her face-down onto the bed. "Back to bed." She covered her over with the sheet again. "You'll be fine in the morning…I think…Just sleep."

"Of course I'll be fine," said Parker blearily. "I am fine. I'm absolutely fine."

"Yes, okay, you're great. Now I'll be next door if you need me."

"Why would I need you? You're not a doctor. John…I need John!"

Elizabeth walked out of the room and shut the door behind her, not responding to Parker's last remarks. Her coat was hanging on the back of the door. A few moments later, her coat pocket lit up as her phone activated and trilled a text alert. Parker opened her eyes and sat up, looking blearily across to her coat. Frowning at it because she would have to walk all the way over there, she got out of bed and wobbled across the floor towards it, losing her balance a couple of times en route but managing to stay on her feet. Finally, she got to the door and took the phone out of her coat pocket. Bracing herself against the wall she activated the phone. A new text message read:_ I'm coming over in fifteen -John_. Parker peered at it for a long moment and then looked around with a sigh, closing her eyes for a moment.

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The next morning, Parker – now fully recovered – and Elizabeth were sitting at the table in the living room. Parker was finishing eating breakfast while Elizabeth was reading a newspaper. Grant was standing nearby. "The photographs are perfectly safe," Elizabeth assured.

"In the hands of Irene Adler," Grant said irritably, "that is hardly considered safe."

"She's not interested in blackmail," Parker spoke up, swallowing a bite of egg. "She wants…protection for some reason. How do you know much about this anyway? Weren't Wesley and Sherlock's brother the ones on this?"

"People like us all have connections," Grant said. He turned towards Elizabeth. "How can we do anything while she has the photographs? Our hands are tied."

"She'd applaud your choice of words," Elizabeth said. "You see how this works: that camera phone is her 'Get out of jail free' card. You have to leave her alone. Treat her like royalty, Grant."

"Though not the way she treats royalty," Parker said. She smiled round at Grant sarcastically, who returned the smile humourlessly. Just then, a text alert rang out. Parker got up and went over to pick up her phone from nearby. She looked at the message which read: _You fully recovered? -John_

Elizabeth cleared her throat and looked back to her brother. "Did you know there were other people after her too, Grant, before you sent Parker, Doctor Watson, Mr. Holmes, and I in there? CIA-trained killers, at my guess."

Parker grunted unappreciatively and went back to the table and sant down again as she looked back at Grant. "Yeah, thanks for that, Grant. Tell my brother I said thanks too." She quickly tapped a response to John's text.

Mrs. Coleman brought in a plate of breakfast from the kitchen and then put it down in front of Elizabeth. "It's a disgrace," she said, "sending your little sister into danger like that. Family is all we have in the end, Grant Pennies."

"Oh, shut up, Mrs. Coleman!" Grant said.

"GRANT!" Elizabeth said furiously.

Parker spoke simultaneously and equally as furiously. "OI!"

Grant looked at their angry faces glaring at him, then cringed and looks contritely at Mrs. Coleman. "Apologies."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Coleman with a huff. Parker's phone trilled again and she looked at it. _Good -John._

Elizabeth sighed. "There's nothing you can do and nothing she will do as far as I can see."

"I can put maximum surveillance on her," Grant suggested.

Elizabeth huffed. "Why bother? You can follow her on Twitter. I believe her user name is '_TheWhipHand_'."

"Yes," said Grant with a tight smile. "Most amusing." His phone rang and he took it from his pocket. "'Scuse me." He walked out into the hall. He lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Elizabeth watched him leave, frowning suspiciously. Parker looked at her. "You said you sent Lily a video of me when I was…drugged?" she started hesitantly.

Elizabeth glanced at her worriedly. "Yes."

Parker slowly nodded. "Has she responded yet?" Elizabeth nodded. Parker quirked an eyebrow. "Can I see her message?" Elizabeth – blushing furiously – took out her BlackBerry and showed her the text that followed after the sent video. It was as follows:

_1) Oh my gosh, are you guys okay?!  
2) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

Parker bit her lip in thought and Elizabeth put down the phone and went back to reading the paper which was showing the headline 'Refit for Historical Hospital'. In the sublines, the hospital was mentioned by the name: 'Reichenbach'.

Parker looked at her plate for a moment. Grant came back into the room, still talking on his phone. "Bond Air is go, that's decided. Check with the Coventry lot. Talk later." He hung up.

Elizabeth looked at him. "What else does she have?" she asked. Grant looked at her enquiringly. "Irene Adler," Elizabeth clarified. "The Americans wouldn't be interested in her for a couple of compromising photographs. There's more." She stood up and faced her brother. "Much more." Grant looked at her, stony-faced. Elizabeth walked closer to him. "Something big's coming, isn't it?" Suddenly, she had a question pop into her head. "Wait a second, what's that woman's name anyway? The one from the Palace?"

Grant cleared his throat. "Bond," he said. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Faith Bond." Parker choked on a laugh as she took a bite of her meal and Elizabeth burst out laughing. Grant glowered at both of them. "Irene Adler is no longer any concern of yours," he said sternly. "From now on you will stay out of this."

The two siblings were locked in a glaring contest for a few, tense moments. "Now," said Grant, "if you'll excuse me, I have a long and arduous apology to make to a very old friend."

Elizabeth picked up Parker's violin. "Do give her my love." She began to tune the instrument. Grant rolled his eyes, turned, and left the room, Elizabeth following along behind him as Parker glanced at Elizabeth in slight annoyance.

As Grant hurried down the stairs, Elizabeth turned back and walked over to the window, still tuning. Parker stood up and walked over to Elizabeth, snatching the violin and bow from her. "Gimme my violin back," she muttered.

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Time passed and it was Christmas before anyone knew it. Fairy lights were strung up around the window frame of 221B Baker Street and it was snowing outside. Inside, the living room was festooned with Christmas decorations and cards, and Sherlock was walking around playing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on his violin. Mrs. Hudson was sitting in his chair with a glass in her hand, watching him happily. Lestrade was standing at the entrance to the kitchen holding a wine glass, and John walked across the room with a cup and saucer in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. As Sherlock finished the tune with a fancy flourish, Lestrade whistled in appreciation. "Lovely!" said Mrs. Hudson. "Sherlock, that was lovely!"

"Marvellous!" John praised.

Mrs. Hudson giggled up at Sherlock. "I wish you could have worn the antlers!"

"Some things are best left to the imagination, Mrs. Hudson," Sherlock said.

John handed her a cup of tea. "Mrs. H," he said. Parker brought over a tray containing mince pies and slices of cake and offered it to Sherlock.

"No thank you, Nightingale," Sherlock said politely.

The room went dead silent.

John cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sherlock…" he warned, glancing quickly at Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson. John hurried over to Parker and put his arm around her as she turned away nervously. John awkwardly shepherded Parker away. Luckily, the next person to join them drew everyone's attention away from Parker and they forgot what had just been said.

Sherlock looked across to the door at the new arrival. "Oh, no," he muttered.

Molly Hooper walked in, smiling shyly and carrying two bags which were full of presents. "Hello, everyone. Sorry, hello." John walked over to greet her, smiling. "Er, it said on the door just to come up," she said.

Everyone greeted her cheerfully. "Hi Molly!" said Parker with a happy wave. Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"Oh, everybody's saying hullo to each other," he said sarcastically. "How wonderful!"

Smiling at him nervously, Molly started to take her coat and scarf off. John was standing ready to take her coat. "Let me, er…holy!"

Lestrade gawped in similar appreciation as Molly revealed that she was wearing a very attractive black dress. "Wow!" he said.

"Having a Christmas drinkies, then?" Molly asked nervously.

Sherlock sat down at the table. "No stopping them, apparently," he said.

"It's the one day of the year where the boys have to be nice to me," Mrs. Hudson said, "so it's almost worth it!"

Molly giggled nervously again, her eyes fixed on Sherlock as he started typing on John's laptop. John brought a chair over for her. "Have a seat," he said, offering it to her.

"John?" said Sherlock.

"Mmm?"

As he went over to see what Sherlock was looking at, Lestrade touched Molly's arm to get her attention. "Molly?" She turned to him. "Want a drink?"

As she accepted his offer, John leaned over Sherlock's shoulder to look at the screen. "The counter on your blog: still says one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five."

John pulled a mock-angry face. "Ooh, no! Christmas is cancelled!"

Sherlock pointed to the side bar which had one of the press pictures of him in his deerstalker. "And you've got a photograph of me wearing that hat!?" Sherlock said irritably.

"People like the hat," said John.

"No they don't. What people?"

He continued looking at the laptop as John walked away. Molly turned to Mrs. Hudson. "How's the hip?" she asked.

"Ooh, it's atrocious, but thanks for asking."

"I've seen much worse," said Molly, "but then I do post-mortems." An awkward silence fell over them. Molly looked embarrassed. "Oh, gosh. Sorry."

"Don't make jokes, Molly," Sherlock advised.

"No," said Molly. "Sorry." Lestrade handed her a glass of red wine. "Thank you," she said. "I wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you were gonna be in Dorset for Christmas."

Lestrade shrugged. "That's first thing in the morning. Me and the wife – we're back together. It's all sorted." He grinned at her.

Sherlock didn't even bother looking up from the computer. "No, she's sleeping with a P.E. teacher."

Lestrade's smile became rather fixed. Molly turned to John who was sitting on the arm of his armchair. Parker was sitting in the chair itself. "And John. I hear you're off to your sister's, is that right?"

"Yeah."

She turned to Parker. "And you to your younger brother's."

"Yep," said Parker happily.

"Elizabeth was complaining to me when I last saw her."

Parker smiled and chuckled. "First time ever, he's cleaned up his act. He's off the booze."

"Nope," Sherlock said.

"Shut up, Sherlock," John said, defending Parker and shooting him a glare.

"I see you've got a new boyfriend, Molly," said Sherlock, as if nothing had happened, "and you're serious about him."

"Sorry," said Molly, "what?" She was a bit confused, and yet somewhat nervous.

"In fact," Sherlock continued, "you're seeing him this very night and giving him a gift."

John sighed then spoke in quiet exasperation. "Take a day off," he muttered to Sherlock.

Lestrade took a glass across to the table and put it down near Sherlock. "Shut up and have a drink," he advised.

"Oh, come on," said Sherlock. "Surely you've all seen the present at the top of the bag – perfectly wrapped with a bow. All the others are slapdash at best." He stood up and walked towards Molly, looking at the other presents which weren't as carefully wrapped. "It's for someone special, then." He picked up the well-wrapped present. "The shade of red echoes her lipstick – either an unconscious association or one that she's deliberately trying to encourage. Either way, Miss Hooper has lurrrve on her mind," he said, having fun with the word 'love'. "The fact that she's serious about him is clear from the fact she's giving him a gift at all." Both John and Parker looked at Molly anxiously as she squirmed in front of Sherlock. "That would suggest long-term hopes, however forlorn; and that she's seeing him tonight is evident from her make-up and what she's wearing." He smiled smugly across to John and Parker and started to turn over the gift tag attached to the present. "Obviously trying to compensate for the size of her mouth and breasts…"

He trailed off as he looked down at the writing on the tag. Written in red ink, the greeting read:

Dearest Sherlock  
Love Molly xxx

Sherlock gazed at the words in shock as he realised the terrible thing that he had just done. Molly gasped quietly. "You always say," she began nervously, "such horrible things. Every time. Always. Always."

As she fought back tears, Sherlock turned to walk away…but then stopped and turned back to her. "I am sorry…Forgive me. John looked up, startled and amazed at such a human reaction from his friend. Sherlock stepped closer to Molly. "Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper," Sherlock said quietly. He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the cheek. It was a sweet and beautiful moment, which was instantly ruined by the sound of an orgasmic sigh. Molly gasped in shock.

"No!" Molly said. "That wasn't…I – I didn't–"

"No, it was me," said Sherlock.

"My g– really?!" Lestrade said, bewildered.

"What?!" asked Molly in shock.

Parker shot him a weird look.

"My phone," Sherlock corrected.

He reached into his jacket pocket to get the phone. John narrowed his eyes. "Fifty-seven?"

"Sorry, what?" said Sherlock.

"Fifty-seven of those texts – the ones I've heard."

Sherlock looked at the message which read simply: Mantelpiece.

Sherlock walked over to the mantelpiece. "Thrilling that you've been counting." He picked up a small box wrapped in blood-red paper and tied with black rope-like string. Instantly he flashed back to the colour of Irene's lipstick, which was identical to this paper. "'Scuse me," he said. Sherlock walked toward the kitchen.

"What – what's up, Sherlock?" John asked.

Sherlock spoke but continuing walking. "I said excuse me."

John called after him. "D'you ever reply?"

Ignoring him, Sherlock walked into his bedroom.

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Sherlock had left a while ago, Molly not long afterwards. Soon, just Mrs. Hudson, John, and Parker were left in the flat. There was a knock on the door. "I'll go get that, shall I?" said Mrs. Hudson. She went downstairs to answer the door.

Parker cleared her throat and looked at John who sat next to her on the couch. "When did you tell him?" she asked.

John looked up. "Hm?"

Parker cleared her throat. "When did you tell Sherlock I was Nightingale? You promised you wouldn't say anything."

John sighed. "I never told him," he said. "He is…master of deductions, it only took one day after our Chinese, kidnapping gangsters for him to find out." He looked at his lap for a moment, trying to put his thoughts together. "Were you ever planning on telling me?"

Parker looked John in the eyes then shifted her position on the couch. "I dunno," she said with a shrug. "Not sure."

"Why not?" John asked.

Parker sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "Look…" she started awkwardly, "…I was engaged."

John stared at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "Erm…hm…okay, and…uh…okay…" He glanced back and forth between his lap and Parker. "Why are you saying this?"

Parker closed her eyes again for a second, trying to put the right words together. "Not even Lily and Elizabeth know. I try to keep it from people, ya know?" She cleared her throat awkwardly. "For those who do know, they think I left him; they think I got scared. That's not true." She fought back tears and sighed. "I told Derrick I was Nightingale about a month before we got engaged. The same night he proposed to me he was…he was…" She stumbled a bit and paused. "Some people found out he knew who Nightingale was, so…" Parker closed her eyes again, trying to take a calming breath. "Well…people think I left him. People think I was scared. That's not true. I wasn't scared…He died." She looked away and tried to keep herself under control.

After a few moments, Parker felt an arm go around her shoulders. John was silent for a bit. "So you were afraid?" he concluded. "Afraid of telling someone else?"

Parker nodded, holding back tears. "I never wanted that to happen to anyone again," she said. Her voice became whisper. "Never again."

Mrs. Hudson came up the staircase. "Marie – sorry – dear, a young man is outside saying he needs to speak to you."

Parker stood up. "Alright," she said.

She stepped out of the flat and went down the stairs. She exited 221 and saw Wesley standing near Speedy's. He looked up at his younger sister as she approached. Wesley nodded at Parker and she looked around, shivering a bit, having not grabbed her coat before stepping outside. "Marie," Wesley greeted. Parker merely nodded, rubbing her eyes a bit. Wesley sighed. "Irene Adler is dead," he informed.

Parker looked at her brother in shock. "What?" she asked. She looked around as if checking to see if they were being watched. "How? What happened?"

Wesley sighed. "She had an item that her life depended on…" he sighed briefly, "…and she gave it away." Parker instantly thought about Sherlock's gift on the mantelpiece and knew where the item was. She looked down the street and spotted a restaurant that she used to visit all the time with D–

The name got caught in her thoughts and her throat clenched. Wesley noticed. He sighed. "You've been worried about John Watson, haven't you?" he asked. Parker merely nodded, staring at the building full of memories.

Parker took in a shaky breath, turning towards her brother. "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked.

Wesley raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? You have superhuman abilities, that's not exactly—"

"You know what I mean," interrupted Parker.

Wesley sighed. "You are hesitant to let anyone past the level of friendship ever since what happened to Derrick." Parker choked up. "You've let Dr. Watson passed that and now you're worried. But you don't need to be worried. After all…all lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage…" he turned to Parker, "…Marie."

Parker looked up into her brother's eyes. Her own eyes were brimming with tears. She embraced her older brother without a second thought. Wesley was a bit taken aback. She hadn't done that since they were both in primary school. For a moment he hesitated, then he accepted the warming embrace. Parker sniffled. "Tell that to your wife and kids," she muttered. Wesley couldn't help but quirk a small smile.

"Caring may not be an advantage, but that shouldn't stop us from trying to make it one."

Parker smiled and stepped away. She began to walk back to 221B. "Merry Christmas, Wesley," she said over her shoulder.

Wesley nodded. "And a happy new year," he added as she stepped inside.

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

15: Scandal – Part III

**Shmuuyaassyyy - I actually have decide to pair Parker up with another OC. Don't worry though, because I'm pretty sure it will still be enjoyed. After finishing season 3, I now have an idea on what I'm gonna do.**

**Noodle Fanatic - THANKS! :D**

It was a few days after Christmas and Parker was spending the next few hours at Baker Street with John, so Elizabeth was alone. She went out of the front door of 313 and pulled it closed. As she turned to go to the left, a man was standing just to the right of the flat. He called out to her. "Elizabeth?"

"Yeah?" She stopped and turned around to him as he looked at her in a way that said: Heeeeeeeeey. Elizabeth shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Er…hello…"

The man stepped closer and Elizabeth looked at him a bit unsurely. "So," the man said, "any plans for New Year's tonight?"

"Uh…no. Why?"

The man looked over his shoulder towards the road. "Because I have an idea."

Elizabeth followed his gaze and sighed in exasperation as a black car pulled up and stops beside them. "You know, Grant could just phone me, if he didn't have this bloody stupid power complex. He's my brother for crying out loud!" They got into the car and it pulled away and took them to the biggest power complex in the neighbourhood – the empty shell of Battersea Power Station. Pulling up inside the building, Elizabeth and the strange man got out and he lead her through the abandoned structure. "Couldn't we just go to a café?" Elizabeth asked. "Come on, does he have to do this to me?"

Still walking, the man typed onto his phone, then stopped and gestured ahead of himself. "Through there." Elizabeth gave him a dirty glare, then walked on. The man turned and headed back the way he came, lifting his phone to his ear. "She's on her way. You were right – she thinks it's Grant."

Elizabeth reached a large room and started talking straightaway even though she couldn't yet see anybody. "Do you do this to me on purpose? Kidnap me while I'm trying to get something done?" She walked further into the room and finally a figure began to step out of the shadows at the other end. "Can't we just talk this out like a real brother and sister would? And not ones split apart by supernatural differe…" She trailed off as Irene Adler walked into view.

"Hello, Miss Pennies," she said. Irene stopped some distance away from Elizabeth and she simply stared at Irene for several seconds before she finally found some words. She spoke quietly, but with a note of pleading in her voice. "Drive me back."

"I can't. Not yet."

"Why'd you bring me here?"

"I need something back. I couldn't get Doctor Watson here because he's with your flatmate."

"You were dead on a slab," Elizabeth said loudly. "It was definitely you. Grant told me."

Irene shrugged. "DNA tests are only as good as the records you keep."

"And I bet you know the record-keeper," Elizabeth scoffed.

"I know what he likes, and I needed to disappear."

"Then how come I can see you, and I don't even want to?"

Irene put her hands in a surrender position. "Look, I made a mistake. I sent something to Sherlock for safe-keeping and now I need it back, so I need your help since I couldn't get John here."

"No," refused Elizabeth.

"It's for Sherlock's own safety."

"Tell him you're alive," Elizabeth insisted.

"I can't."

Elizabeth was fighting back her anger. "Fine…I'll tell him, and I still won't help you. Or I'll get Parker to tell him or get her to tell John to tell him, I don't care how it happens, but he's finding out." She turned and started to walk away.

"What do I say?" Irene asked.

Elizabeth furiously turned back to Irene. "What would you normally say?!"

Irene had taken her phone out and held it up as Elizabeth stopped and glared at her. "Probably the usual stuff," Irene said.

"There is no 'usual' in this case," said Elizabeth, shaking her head.

Irene looked down at her phone and started to read back messages she had sent to Sherlock. "Good morning; I like your funny hat; I'm sad tonight. Let's have dinner…" Elizabeth looked round at her. "…You looked sexy on 'Crimewatch'. Let's have dinner; I'm not hungry," she looked up, "let's have dinner."

Elizabeth stared at her in disbelief. "You…flirted…with Sherlock Holmes?!"

Irene looked back at her phone. "At him. He never replies."

"No. From what I've learned and observed, Sherlock always replies – to everything. He's Mr. Punchline. He will do anything to have the last word."

"Does that make me special?" Irene asked with a smirk.

"…I don't know. Maybe. Or maybe I just got things wrong. I've only known him for a while and the first time I met him was in Buckingham Palace in which he wore only a bedsheet and the last time I saw him was when you drugged him."

"There…" said Irene. She held up her phone to show Elizabeth the screen, although she was too far away to read it. She told her what she had typed anyway. "I'm not dead. Let's have dinner." She pressed the Send button. Elizabeth turned away momentarily and then turned back to her.

Just then, an orgasmic female sigh could be heard a short distance away. In the corridor outside the room, unseen by either of them, Sherlock switched his phone off and rapidly walked away. Elizabeth started to walk in the direction of the sound in confusion but Irene held out her hand to stop her. Irene looked at Elizabeth pointedly. "I don't think so…do you?"

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Some time later, Sherlock was walking down Baker Street towards his flat, his gaze distant and lost. As he arrived at the front door of 221B and turned to put his key in the door, his expression sharpened as he realised that the door had been jemmied open. Slowly pushing the door open, he went inside and carefully put his hand onto the opaque glass window of the interior door before also pushing that one open and stepping through into the hall. Immediately he heard there was no indication of John and Parker talking upstairs. He noticed an earring on the ground at the foot of the stairs. The same as Parker wore to the Christmas party. Sherlock stepped closer to the stairs and saw a couple of scuff marks on the wall just above the risers. He instantly realised that one of the marks was made by someone awkwardly walking backwards up the stairs and having to feel their way with their feet, while the second was made by someone following the first person while facing forwards but being thrown off-balance by something. Looking more closely at the wall he saw a small indentation in the wallpaper. His gaze became more intense as he deduced that it was formed by someone dragging their hand along the wall, clawing at it in a desperate attempt to stop themselves from being hauled backwards up the stairs. The depth of the nail mark could only have been made by someone with fairly long nails, a woman, and then Sherlock knew that the person being dragged was Parker. Slowly, he raised his head as he visualised her struggling as she was half-pulled and half-carried upstairs by a couple of men as a woman preceded them.

Sherlock stared up the stairs and slowly his expression changed from deductive to angry. Not that he felt any real pity for her, it was the fact that she was important to John and they attacked her that made him furious. Sherlock stood there for a few seconds as his rage built, and then he got moving.

He slowly pushed open the door to the living room of 221B. In front of the fireplace Parker was sitting on a dining chair facing the door, and behind her stood Faith Bond, the CIA woman who led the raid on Irene's house. She was holding another pistol with an over-compensatory silencer attached and was aiming the gun at the back of Parker's head. One of her men was standing looking out of the window but turned as the door opened; the other stood near the sliding door into the kitchen. As Sherlock slowly strolled into the room with his hands clasped behind his back, Parker looked up at Sherlock worriedly. "Sherlock," she said quietly.

"Don't snivel, Parker. It'll do nothing to impede the flight of a bullet." He was careful not to use her alter ego name this time. He looked at Faith. "What a tender world that would be."

"I believe you have something that we want, Mr. Holmes," said Faith.

"Then why don't you ask for it?"

He walked closer and held out his right hand towards Parker. He gently turned back the sleeve of her right hand and looked at the bruises on her wrist. Parker bit her lip. "Sher…"

"I've been asking this one," said Faith with a shrug. "She doesn't seem to know anything. We came here right after Doctor Watson had left, apparently." Sherlock's gaze rose a little and he saw that the right shoulder of Parker's cardigan had been ripped at the seam, exposing her skin underneath. "But you know what I'm asking for, don't you, Mr. Holmes?" Sherlock looked a little higher and saw a cut on Parker's right cheek. His eyes flickered across to Faith's right hand holding the pistol. She had a silver ring on her third finger and there was blood on it. Sherlock raised his head and looked directly at Faith – but he wasn't deducing her. In very rapid succession he was picking out target points on her body:

Carotid Artery

Skull

Eyes

His eyes dropped to Faith's arm and chest:

Artery

Lungs

Ribs

He raised his eyes to Faith's again. "I believe I do." Parker made a small noise as Sherlock straightened up, putting his hands behind his back again. "First, get rid of your boys," Sherlock said.

"Why?" Bond asked.

"I dislike being outnumbered. It makes for too much stupid in the room."

Faith hesitated for a moment, then glanced at her colleagues. "You two," she sighed, "go to the car."

"Then get into the car and drive away." Sherlock looked back to Faith. "Don't try to trick me. You know who I am. It doesn't work." He clicked the 'k' of 'work' loudly. The two men left the room and headed down the stairs. "Next, you can stop pointing that gun at me."

Faith scoffed. "So you can point a gun at me?"

Sherlock stepped back and spread his arms to either side. "I'm unarmed."

"Mind if I check?" Faith asked.

"Oh, I insist."

Faith shot Parker a quick look. "We know who you are, Nightingale," she said. "Don't try anything or I swear, I will kill you." Parker was still.

Faith came slowly around from behind Parker, walked over to Sherlock, and patted his breast pocket and flicked the coat open while Sherlock stood meekly with his arms still spread. Walking around behind him, Faith started patting for any hidden weapon at his back. Sherlock rolled his eyes dramatically at Parker, but he was already covertly starting to bend his right arm towards himself. So fast that Parker couldn't tell where it came from, he whipped out the sanitizer spray can, twisted around, and sprayed the contents directly into Faith's eyes. As Bond screamed, Sherlock reared back and then savagely headbutt her in the face. Faith fell back over the coffee table, unconscious, as Sherlock flipped the can into the air triumphantly.

"Moron."

Slamming the can onto the table, he walked calmly over to Parker and looked down at her. "You alright?" he asked.

"If I said no would you care?" Parker asked.

Sherlock shrugged. "No, not really."

"Then yes, I'm alright."

Sherlock looked over his shoulder towards Faith's prone body, his expression still promising murder nonetheless.

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Not long afterwards, a cab pulled outside 221 and John got out with a bag in hand. The car drove away and he walked to the door, then stopped as he saw a handwritten note attached underneath the knocker. He looked around the street for a moment, then pushed the door open and went inside. Written on the note was:

CRIME IN PROGRESS  
PLEASE DISTURB

John went upstairs and hurried into the living room. "What's going on?" he asked. He stopped at the sight of Bond, bound and gagged with duct tape and sitting on the chair near the fireplace. Her nose was broken and blood had run down her face and was dripping from her chin. Parker was sitting on the sofa and Sherlock was in a chair nearby, holding Faith's pistol aimed at her with one hand, and his phone to his ear with the other. "Jeez. What the blazes is happening?" John asked.

"Your superhero girlfriend has been attacked by an American. I'm restoring balance to the universe."

John immediately hurried over to sit down next to Parker. "Oh, Parker, gosh. Are you all right?" He glared at Faith as he put his arm around Parker's shoulders. "Jeez, what have they done to you?"

Parker didn't even care anymore and began to cry. "I was just…I was…I…"

John pulled her closer. "No, no," he said comfortingly.

Sherlock got to his feet, still holding the phone to his ear while aiming the gun at Faith. "Downstairs," he said to John. "Take her downstairs to look after her."

John stood up and helped Parker to her feet. "Alright, come on. Let's take a look at those."

"I'm fine," Parker said. "Really, I'm fine."

As she walked out of the room, John stepped over to Sherlock, whose eyes were fixed on Faith. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" he asked.

"I expect so. Now go." They looked at each other for a moment, then turned their gazes to Bond and now she had two murderous expressions aimed at her. John turned to leave the room but just before his head was completely turned away, a small smile began to form on his face as if he wanted Faith to understand that she was about to encounter a whole world of hurt.

Sherlock spoke into his phone as John walked away. "Lestrade. We've had a break-in at Baker Street. Send your least irritating officers and an ambulance." Finally taking his eyes off Faith, he walked across to the table and laid the pistol down on it. "Oh, no no no no no, we're fine. No, it's the, uh, it's the burglar. She's got herself rather badly injured." Faith looked nervous as Sherlock listened to Lestrade's question. "Oh, a few broken ribs, fractured skull…suspected punctured lung." He looked over his shoulder at Faith Bond. "She fell out of a window." Still looking into Faith's eyes, he hung up.

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Downstairs, where Mrs. Hudson had offered her kitchen, Parker and John were standing by the sink as he gently applied some antiseptic to the cut on her cheek. Parker coughed. "Er…thanks," she said.

John smiled a bit. "Don't thank me. I was the one who left you alone to deal with them." He continued cleaning the cut. A moment later a shape plummeted down past the window and landed with a crash. John, Parker, and Mrs. Hudson looked at the window.

"Ooh," said Mrs. Hudson. "That was right on my bins."

There was an agonised groan from outside.

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Some time later, it was fully dark outside and an ambulance was only now pulling away from 221. Sherlock was standing outside Speedy's café with Lestrade. "And exactly how many times did she fall out the window?" he asked.

Sherlock shrugged. "It's all a bit of a blur, Detective Inspector. I lost count."

Not bothering to comment, Lestrade walked away. A little later Sherlock trotted up to the kitchen of 221B. Parker and John were sitting at the kitchen table covered in Sherlock's experiments. Parker still looked somewhat shaken. "You'll sleep upstairs in our flat tonight," said John. "Just tonight."

"No," said Parker dismissively.

"She's fine," said Sherlock. "She has her friend at her flat to look after her."

"No, she's not fine. Look at her. Elizabeth is not a doctor." Sherlock opened the fridge door and peered inside before picking something up. John turned to Parker. "You should stick close to someone. Maybe even go and visit a relative for a while. Doctor's orders."

Kicking the fridge door shut, Sherlock glanced at John and bit into a mince pie. "At least she and her friend will be out of this case." Parker glared at Sherlock.

"She's in shock, for Pete's sake…" John said.

"I'm not in shock," Parker insisted.

"…and all over some bloody stupid camera phone. Where is it, anyway?"

"Safest place I know," said Sherlock confidently.

Wiping crumbs from his mouth, Parker reached down inside her top and pulled the phone out of her bra before handing it to a somewhat shocked Sherlock. "You left it in the pocket of your second-best dressing gown, you idiot." She laughed briefly at Sherlock's slight confusion. "I managed to sneak it out when they thought I was trying to run." She paused as she looked at Sherlock. "Oh, don't gimme that look, I joined a detective agency for a reason. Not to mention I'm a superhero with basically a super-mind."

Sherlock tossed the camera phone into the air before putting it in his coat pocket. "…Thank you," he said hesitantly. Parker looked smug.

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Several months later, Parker was once again visiting 221B; this time with Elizabeth. Sherlock reached the top of the stairs and then stopped abruptly outside the kitchen door. He sniffed deeply. Taking a couple more deep breaths, he turned and looked into the kitchen, then walked across to the window and checked it as he realised that it was open. Turning and sniffing again, he started to walk slowly towards his bedroom just as the downstairs door slammed and three pairs of feet start trotting up the stairs. Reaching his room, he pushed the door open as John came into the kitchen with Elizabeth and Parker trailing behind. Sherlock walked into the bedroom and turned to stand and look down at the bed. John noticed him.

"Sherlock…"

"We have a client," Sherlock said.

"What, in your bedroom?!" He walked along the passage and into the bedroom, then his jaw dropped as he saw the bed. "Ohhh." Irene – fully clothed – was asleep in Sherlock's bed.

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Some time later, Irene had showered and her hair was loose and damp. She was wearing one of Sherlock's dressing gowns and was sitting in his chair in the living room. The boys were sitting at the table while the girls were sitting in chairs. They were all looking at her. "So who's after you?" Sherlock asked.

"People who want to kill me," Irene said.

"And who's that?" wondered Elizabeth.

Irene shrugged. "Killers."

"It would help if you were a tiny bit more specific," said John.

"So you faked your own death in order to get ahead of them," Sherlock said.

"It worked for a while."

"Except you let Ms. Pennies know that you were alive, and therefore me."

"I knew you'd keep my secret."

"You really couldn't."

"But you did, didn't you?" Irene asked. She looked around a bit. "Where's my camera phone?"

"It's not here," said John, setting down his mug. "We're not stupid."

"Then what have you done with it? If they've guessed you've got it, they'll be watching you."

"If they've been watching me," said Sherlock, "they'll know that I took a safety deposit box at a bank on the Strand a few months ago."

"I need it," Irene said.

"Well, we can't just go and get it, can we?" said John. He looked round to Sherlock, inspired. "Molly Hooper. She could collect it, take it to Bart's; then one of your homeless network could bring it here, leave it in the café, and one of the boys downstairs could bring it up the back."

Sherlock smiled. "Very good, John. Excellent plan, with intelligent precautions."

"Thank you," said John. He picked up his phone. "So, why don't…" Sherlock took the camera phone out of his jacket pocket and held it up. "Oh, for–"

Sherlock looked at the phone closely as Irene stood up. "So what do you keep on here – in general, I mean?"

Irene shrugged. "Pictures, information, anything I might find useful."

"What, for blackmail?" Parker asked.

"For protection," Irene corrected. "I make my way in the world; I misbehave. I like to know people will be on my side exactly when I need them to be."

"So how do you come across this information?" Elizabeth asked.

"I told you – I misbehave."

"But you've come across something that's more danger than protection," said Sherlock. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yes, but I don't understand it."

"I assumed. Show me." Irene held out her hand for the phone. Sherlock held it up out of her reach. "The passcode." Irene continued to hold her hand out, and eventually Sherlock sat forward and handed her the phone.

Activating it and holding it so he couldn't see the screen or the keypad, she typed in four characters. The phone beeped warningly. "It's not working."

Sherlock stood up and took the phone from her. "No, because it's a duplicate that I had made, into which you've just entered the numbers one oh five eight." He walked over to his chair in which Irene was just sitting and retrieved the real camera phone from under the cushion. "I assumed you'd choose something more specific than that but, um, thanks anyway."

He pulled up the "I AM - LOCKED" screen and typed "1058" into the phone. He looked at her smugly but then the phone beeped warningly and a message came up reading: "WRONG PASSCODE. 1 ATTEMPT REMAINING". He stared in disbelief.

"I told you that camera phone was my life," said Irene. "I know when it's in my hand."

"Oh, you're rather good."

Irene smiled at him. "You're not so bad." She held her hand out again and took the phone from him. John frowned at the pair of them as they stared intense for the next few seconds.

"Hamish," John said abruptly. Everyone turned to look at him. "John Hamish Watson – just if you were looking for baby names."

Parker smirked. "Kendra if it's a girl," she added.

Sherlock frowned in confusion.

"There was a man – an MOD official," Irene continued. "I knew what he liked." Walking a short distance away from all the detectives so they couldn't see her screen or keypad, she typed in her real passcode and called up a photo. "One of the things he liked was showing off. He told me this email was going to save the world. He didn't know it, but I photographed it." She handed the phone to Sherlock. "He was a bit tied up at the time. It's a bit small on that screen – can you read it?"

Sherlock sat down on the other side of the table to John and narrowed his eyes at the photograph. The top of the email – the subject line – read: 007 Confirmed allocation

Underneath in smaller print was a string of numbers:

4C12C45F13E13G60A60B61F34G34J60D12H33K34K

"Yes," said Sherlock.

"A code," said Irene, "obviously. I had one of the best cryptographers in the country take a look at it – though he was mostly upside down, as I recall. Couldn't figure it out." Sherlock leaned forward, concentrating on the screen. "What can you do, Mr. Holmes?" she asked. She leaned over his shoulder. "Go on. Impress a girl."

Oblivious to her approach, the numbers in the code raced through Sherlock's mind and began to form into shapes for him. By the time John's mug reached the table and Irene had leaned in and kissed Sherlock's cheek, he had already solved it. His eyes drifted momentarily in Irene's direction as she pulled back smiling, but then he concentrated on the screen again. Sherlock spoke rapidly. "There's a margin for error but I'm pretty sure there's a Seven Forty-Seven leaving Heathrow tomorrow at six thirty in the evening for Baltimore. Apparently it's going to save the world. Not sure how that can be true but give me a moment; I've only been on the case for eight seconds."

He looked at John's blank face in front of him, then glanced round at Irene who hadn't even fully straightened up yet. Elizabeth and Parker were both staring. "Oh, come on. It's not code," said Sherlock. "These are seat allocations on a passenger jet. Look: there's no letter 'I' because it can be mistaken for a '1'; no letters past 'K' – the width of the plane is the limit. The numbers always appear randomly and not in sequence but the letters have little runs of sequence all over the place – families and couples sitting together. Only a Jumbo is wide enough to need the letter 'K' or rows past fifty-five, which is why there's always an upstairs. There's a row thirteen, which eliminates the more superstitious airlines. Then there's the style of the flight number – zero zero seven – that eliminates a few more; and assuming a British point of origin, which would be logical considering the original source of the information and assuming from the increased pressure on you lately that the crisis is imminent, the only flight that matches all the criteria and departs within the week is the six thirty to Baltimore tomorrow evening from Heathrow Airport."

By then he had stood up, and he lowered the phone and looked down at Irene, who gazed up at him in admiration. "Please don't feel obliged to tell me that was remarkable or amazing. John's expressed the same thought in every possible variant available to the English language."

Irene spoke intensely. "I would have you right here on this desk until you begged for mercy twice." The two of them stared at each other for a long moment before Sherlock spoke again.

Sherlock's eyes were still locked on Irene's even as he spoke. "John, please can you check those flight schedules; see if I'm right?"

John spoke vaguely, overcome by all the craziness that had just happened. "Uh-huh. I'm on it, yeah." Clearing his throat, he started to type on his laptop.

Sherlock and Irene continued to stare at each other. "I've never begged for mercy in my life," said Sherlock.

"Twice," Irene said emphatically.

John looked at his screen. "Uh, yeah, you're right." Parker walked over to him and looked over his shoulder. "Uh, flight double oh seven."

Sherlock looking round at him quickly. "What did you say?"

"You're right."

"No, no, no, after that. What did you say after that?"

"Double oh seven," John repeated. "Flight double oh seven."

Sherlock spoke quietly to himself. "Double oh seven, double oh seven, double oh seven, double oh seven…" Pushing Irene out of the way, he began to pace. "…something…something connected to double oh seven…What?" As he continued to pace and mutter the numbers to himself, Irene put her other phone behind her back and began to type blind on it: 747 TOMORROW 6:30PM HEATHROW.

The message was sent to the phone of Jim Moriarty. Standing in Westminster very near the Houses of Parliament, he took his phone out and read the message.

Back at 221B, Sherlock had walked to the fireplace and was standing in front of the mirror with his eyes closed. "Double oh seven," Sherlock said quietly, "double oh seven, what, what, something, what?"

Parker giggled as she read the screen. "Heh. Double oh seven; like James Bond." Sherlock's eyes snapped open as he began to remember. Parker's face fell as she realised too. "Wait a second," she muttered. She suddenly remembered Grant visiting her flat.

"Bond Air is go."

Sherlock walked towards the door as Parker gave Elizabeth a strange look.

"Bond Air is go."

"Bond Air is go."

Parker blinked. "Coventry," she whispered.

At Westminster, Jim was typing a message onto his phone:

Jumbo Jet. Dear me Mr. Kiehof, dear me.

He pressed Send and the message winged its way up into the air. As if watching it go, Jim raised his eyes towards Big Ben, the very image of the seat of the British government, and blew a long and loud raspberry at it.

At Wesley's house, he picked up his phone from the dining table and looked at a newly arrived message. It read: Jumbo Jet. Dear me Mr. Kiehof, dear me. Wesley fell into his chair in both shock and horror.

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At 313G, Elizabeth had gone to bed and Parker was sitting in her usual armchair, absentmindedly plucking at her violin as she gazed out the window. The tune she played went something like this:

C, G, G, G flat, G, G sharp, G, F, C, F, C, C, B, C, D sharp, G, C, C, D, D sharp, D, D sharp, D, D sharp, C, F, C, C, D, D sharp, D sharp, F, D, D sharp, C, C, D, B, G sharp, G, C

Mrs. Coleman came in when Parker was planning to repeat with a man behind her. "Marie," said Mrs. Coleman, "this man was at the door. Is the bell still not working?"

"Who are you?" asked Parker, looking at the man.

"I've come to take you somewhere you need to be."

Parker rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but no."

The man took an envelope from his jacket and offered it to Parker. "Oh, I think you'll want to come to this." Parker snatched it from him and opened it. Inside was a Business Class boarding pass for Flyaway Airways in the name of Marie Kiehof for flight number 007 to Baltimore, scheduled to leave at 18:30.

Very shortly afterwards, Parker had put her coat on and was getting into the back of a car outside the flat. As the man got into the passenger seat and the car drove away, Parker glanced at Sherlock who was seated next to her. "Hullo…" she said.

**A/N Virtual cookie if you can figure out what song Parker was playing on her violin!**


	16. Chapter 16

16: Scandal – Part IV

**Happy birthday to me! :D**

**Shmuuyaassyyy - It is Sherlock's theme :D After watching His Last Vow I realised I was going to need another OC. Don't worry, you get to meet him in chapter 22 which actually not as far as it seems :) If you do like the Parker/John pairing though, you can read my story Team of Detectives. Parker's in a that and eventually pairs with John. Thanks again!**

***If it's not too much to ask of my readers, I'd appreciate it a whole lot if you shared this story with a friend :) I know I still have readers, but I don't have many reviewers :( Thanks!**

In the car, Sherlock got out his plane ticket, then told Parker what he had deduced. "There's going to be a bomb on a passenger jet. The British and American governments know about it but rather than expose the source of that information they're going to let it happen. The plane will blow up. Coventry all over again. The wheel turns. Nothing is ever new."

Neither the stranger nor the driver responded to him in any way. Parker just gave him a small smile. Some time later, the car arrived at Heathrow Airport and was driven past hangars to a 747 Jumbo Jet parked on the tarmac. The car stopped near the plane and Sherlock got out and walked over to the steps which led up to the entry door. A familiar figure was standing at the bottom of the steps. It was Faith Bond.

Sherlock smirked. "Well, you're lookin' all better," he said nonchalantly, in a deliberately fake American accent. "How ya feelin'?"

"Like putting a bullet in your brain…sir." She also gave Parker a death stare. Sherlock let out a quiet snigger and started to walk up the steps. "They'd pin a medal on me if I did…" Sherlock stopped. "…sir," Faith finished insincerely.

Sherlock half-turned back towards her, then decided he couldn't be bothered and continued up the steps. Parker followed quickly after. Inside, Sherlock pulled back the curtain obscuring the passenger seating and walked into the aisle. Parker also stepped in right after, pushing away the curtain. The lighting was very low and it was hard to see. There were people sitting in almost all the seats but none of them were moving or speaking or showing any signs of life at all. "What's going on?" Parker asked quietly. Frowning, Sherlock walked forward and looked more closely at the nearest passengers. An overhead light showed more clearly the faces of two men sitting beside each other and Sherlock then realised the truth: they are dead. "They're dead," he answered. Parker's eyes widened and she looked over the deceased.

Although they were not yet showing any signs of decomposition, the bodies' skin was very grey and they had all been clearly been dead for some time. Sherlock turned and looked to the passengers on the other side of the aisle, turning on another overhead light to get a better view. The man and woman sitting there were also long dead. As he straightened up, realising that everyone on board the plane must be in the same condition, his brother spoke from the other end of the section.

"The Coventry conundrum." Sherlock and Parker turned as Mycroft pushed back the curtain and stepped through into the cabin. Wesley was right behind. For the first part of the ensuing conversation he spoke softly, almost as if out of respect for the dead bodies in front of him. "What do you think of my solution?" Wesley shot Mycroft a look that said: Hey, I helped too!

Sherlock gazed around the cabin, still taking it all in. Parker stared at her brother. "The flight of the dead," Wesley said.

"The plane blows up mid-air," said Sherlock. "Mission accomplished for the terrorists. Hundreds of casualties, but nobody dies."

"Neat," said Mycroft, "don't you think? Sherlock smiled humourlessly. "You have both been stumbling round the fringes of this one for ages – or were you too bored to notice the pattern?"

Parker remembered the two little girls sitting in her living room. "They wouldn't let us see Granddad when he was dead." She lifted her head a little as she remembered the creepy guy sitting in the same chair on a different occasion, holding a funeral urn. "She's not my real aunt. I know human ash."

"We ran a similar project with the Germans a while back," said Wesley, "though I believe one of our passengers didn't make the flight." Parker suddenly remembered the car with the body in the boot and the passport stamped in Berlin airport.

"But that's the deceased for you," Mycroft said. "Late, in every sense of the word."

"How's the plane going to fly?" Parker asked.

Sherlock answered Nightingale immediately. "Unmanned aircraft. Hardly new. Obvious."

"It doesn't fly," said Mycroft. "It will never fly. This entire project is cancelled. The terrorist cells have been informed that we know about the bomb. We can't fool them now. We've lost everything. One fragment of one email, and months and years of planning finished."

"Your MOD man," Sherlock said.

"That's all it takes: one lonely naïve man desperate to show off, and a woman clever enough to make him feel special."

Sherlock quirked an eyebrow as he spoke. "Hmm. You should screen your defence people more carefully."

Mycroft spoke loudly and furiously. "I'm not talking about the MOD man, Sherlock; I'm talking about you!" Sherlock frowned, genuinely confused. "The damsel in distress," Mycroft said a bit quieter. He smiled ironically. "In the end, are you really so obvious? Because this was textbook: the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption; then give him a puzzle," his voice dropped to a whisper, "and watch him dance." Mycroft swung the tip of his umbrella a bit.

"Don't be absurd," said Sherlock.

"Absurd? How quickly did you decipher that email for her? Was it the full minute, or were you really eager to impress?"

"I think it was less than five seconds."

Both Parker and Sherlock spun around to see Irene Adler standing at the end of the cabin, dressed beautifully, fully made up and with her hair perfectly coiffured. This was definitely The Woman at her immaculate best.

Mycroft spoke ruefully to Sherlock. "I drove you into her path," he said. He paused momentarily. "I'm sorry." He lowered his eyes. "I didn't know."

Parker turned back to Wesley, but Sherlock was still looking at Irene as she walked towards him. "Mr. Holmes," said Irene, "I think we need to talk."

"So do I," said Sherlock. "There are a number of aspects I'm still not quite clear on."

Irene walked past him. "Not you, Junior. You're done now." She continued down the aisle towards Mycroft and Wesley. Sherlock turned and watched her go as she activated her phone and held it up to show his brother. "There's more…loads more. On this phone I've got secrets, pictures and scandals that could topple your whole world." She glanced back and forth between the elder Holmes and the elder Kiehof. "You have no idea how much havoc I can cause and exactly one way to stop me – unless you want to tell your masters that the biggest security leak are your own younger siblings."

Mycroft could no longer hold her gaze and turned his head away, lowering his eyes.

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A while later, Mycroft had brought Irene, Parker, Wesley, and Sherlock to his office. The older Holmes sat at the dining table with Irene seated opposite him. Wesley sat next to Irene. Parker was in a seat next to the fireplace but facing the table. Sherlock was in the armchair near the fireplace a few yards away, half turned away from those at the table. The fingers on his right hand were repeatedly clenching as he listened to the others speak.

Mycroft pointed down at the camera phone which was lying on the table in front of him. There was no aggression or threat in his voice as he spoke. "We have people who can get into this," he said.

"I tested that theory for you. I let Sherlock Holmes try it for six months." Sherlock closed his eyes briefly in pain. "Sherlock, dear, tell them what you found when you X-rayed my camera phone."

"There are four additional units wired inside the casing," Sherlock said flatly, "I suspect containing acid or a small amount of explosive." Wesley lowered his head into his hand in despair. "Any attempt to open the casing will burn the hard drive."

Irene smiled. "Explosive," she said. She looked at Mycroft. "It's more me."

Wesley lifted his head and looked at her again. "Some data is always recoverable."

"Take that risk?"

"You have a passcode to open this," Mycroft said. "I deeply regret to say we have people who can extract it from you."

"Sherlock?" said Irene calmly.

"There will be two passcodes: one to open the phone, one to burn the drive," said Sherlock. "Even under duress you can't know which one she's given you and there will be no point in a second attempt." Wesley shook his head.

"He's good, isn't he?" Irene said. "I should have him on a leash – in fact, I might." She gazed at Sherlock intensely but he remained turned away from her and couldn't see her expression.

"We destroy this, then," Wesley concluded. "No one has the information."

"Fine," said Irene with a nod. "Good idea…unless there are lives of British citizens depending on the information you're about to burn."

Parker looked up at them. "Are there?" she asked.

"Telling you would be playing fair. I'm not playing any more." She reached into her handbag on the table in front of her and took out an envelope which she pushed across the table to Mycroft. "A list of my requests; and some ideas about my protection once they're granted." Mycroft took the sheet of paper from the envelope and started to unfold it. "I'd say it wouldn't blow much of a hole in the wealth of the nation – but then I'd be lying." He raised his eyebrows in amazement as he read through the demands she had listed. Wesley didn't like the feeling he was getting. "I imagine you'd like to sleep on it."

Mycroft was still reading. "Thank you, yes."

"Too bad." He looked up at her. In the armchair, Sherlock snorted in almost silent amusement. Irene turned to Mycroft. "Off you pop and talk to people." She gave Wesley a look also.

Sighing, Mycroft sunk back in his chair. "You've been very…thorough. I wish our lot were half as good as you." Wesley shot him a look as if saying sarcastically: Yeah, thanks.

"I can't take all the credit," said Irene. "Had a bit of help. She looked across to Parker. "Oh, Jim Moriarty sends his love."

Parker raised her head. "Yes," said Wesley, "he's been in touch. Seems desperate for my attention," his voice became more ominous, "which I'm sure can be arranged."

Unseen by the others, Sherlock's gaze began to sharpen as Irene stood up and walked round the table to sit on its edge nearer Mycroft. "I had all this stuff, never knew what to do with it. Thank goodness for the consultant criminal. Gave me a lot of advice about how to play the Holmes boys and the Kiehof siblings. D'you know what he calls you?" She looked at Mycroft. "The Ice Man…" she looked behind her at Wesley. "…The Daddy…" She glanced at Parker. "…The Goodie-Two-Shoes…" she looked across to Sherlock. "…And the Virgin." Sherlock's eyes were on the move, though it was not clear to Parker whether in reaction to what Irene is saying or whether he was working something out. "Didn't even ask for anything," Irene continued. "I think he just likes to cause trouble. Now that's my kind of man."

Sherlock closed his eyes, sighing softly. Parker looked at her lap. "And here you are," said Mycroft, "the dominatrix who brought a nation to its knees."

Sherlock's eyes snapped open again. Parker smiled discretely. He was definitely working something out. Wesley stood and Mycroft stood also and appeared to bow slightly to Irene. "Nicely played." He turned away, about to go and begin meeting her demands. Smiling in satisfaction, Irene stood up, confident that she had won.

"No."

Everyone turned to Sherlock.

"Sorry?" asked Irene, still smiling.

Sherlock turned his head towards them. "I said no. Very, very close, but no." He stood and started to walk towards her. "You got carried away. The game was too elaborate. You were enjoying yourself too much."

Irene continued smirking. "No such thing as too much."

Sherlock walked closer and looked down at her. "Oh, enjoying the thrill of the chase is fine, craving the distraction of the game – I sympathise entirely – but sentiment? Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side." He bared his teeth slightly as he finished the sentence.

"Sentiment?" asked Irene. "What are you talking about?"

"You."

Irene smiled calmly. "Oh good gracious. Look at the poor man. You don't actually think I was interested in you?" Sherlock remained still. "Why? Because you're the great Sherlock Holmes, the clever detective in the funny hat?"

He stepped even closer to her, their bodies almost touching. "No," he said softly. He reached out and slowly wrapped the fingers of his right hand around her left wrist, then leaned forward and brought his mouth close to her right ear. Sherlock spoke in a whisper. "Because I took your pulse." Irene frowned in confusion as Sherlock tightened his grip a little around her wrist. "Elevated; your pupils dilated." Sherlock released her hand and leaned past her to pick up the camera phone from the table. "I imagine John Watson thinks love's a mystery to me but the chemistry is incredibly simple," he said in his normal voice, "and very destructive." Parker slowly began to understand the gravity of the situation. She knew what was coming.

Sherlock turned and walked a few paces away from Irene. She followed behind him until he turned and faced her again. "When we first met, you told me that disguise is always a self-portrait. How true of you: the combination to your safe – your measurements; but this," he tossed the phone into the air and caught it again, "this is far more intimate." He pulled up the security lock with its _"I AM - LOCKED"_ screen. "This is your heart," without breaking his gaze into her eyes, he punched in the first of the four characters with his thumb, "and you should never let it rule your head." Irene stared at the consulting detective, trying to stay calm, but the panic was beginning to show behind her eyes. "You could have chosen any random number and walked out of here today with everything you've worked for," he punched in the second character, his eyes still locked on hers, "but you just couldn't resist it, could you?" Irene's breathing became heavier. Sherlock smiled briefly and triumphantly. "I've always assumed that love is a dangerous disadvantage…" He hit the third character, still gazing at her. "Thank you for the final proof."

Before he could type in the fourth character, Irene seized his hand and gazed up at him intensely. She spoke softly. "Everything I said: it's not real." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I was just playing the game."

"I know," whispered Sherlock. Gently pulling his hand free, he typed in the final character. "And this is just losing." Slowly he turned the phone towards her and showed her the screen. Irene looked down at it, tears spilling from her eyes as she read the sequence which said:

**I AM  
SHER  
LOCKED**

She gazed down at the screen in despair for a few seconds, then Sherlock lifted the phone away and held it out towards Mycroft even as the phone unlocked and presents its menu. Sherlock's eyes remained fixed on Irene's. "There you are, brother. I hope the contents make up for any inconvenience I may have caused you tonight."

"I'm certain they will," Wesley said, walking over to take a look at the camera phone.

Sherlock turned and began to walk towards the door. "If you're feeling kind, lock her up; otherwise let her go. I doubt she'll survive long without her protection." Parker blinked at Sherlock's harshness. Irene stared after him, her eyes wide with dread.

"Are you expecting me to beg?" Irene asked.

"Yes."

Sherlock stopped near the door, his face in profile to her. She stared at him in anguish for several seconds, then realised that she had no choice. "Please." Sherlock didn't move. "You're right." He then turned to look at her. Irene stared at Sherlock pleadingly. "I won't even last six months."

"Sorry about dinner." Sherlock turned and walked to the door, opening it and walking through. Irene watched him go, her eyes full of horror as the door closed behind him.

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At Kaber Street it was pouring with rain. Outside Swift's café, Wesley was standing under the protection of his umbrella, looking over his iPhone. He had a clear plastic wallet tucked under one arm and his briefcase is at his feet. Lily had gotten back from her long Scotland trip two weeks ago and was hurrying towards home, hunched over and soaking wet. She saw Wesley standing there and stopped in surprise, then walked over to him. "What're you doing here?" she asked.

Wesley looked up at Swift's sign then back at Lily. "I have some matters to discuss with you." He put away his phone, he closed his umbrella, picked up his briefcase, and turned and walked into Swift's. Lily followed him.

Not long afterwards they were sitting opposite each other at one of the tables. Lily picked up her mug and looked at the plastic wallet which Wesley had put on the table in front of himself. There was a sticker on the wallet saying_ 'RESTRICTED ACCESS – CONFIDENTIAL'_. The camera phone was inside the wallet on top of various documents. "This the file on Irene Adler?" Lily asked.

Wesley nodded. "Closed forever. I assume Marie and Elizabeth have explained everything to you?" Lily nodded. "Good. Now, I am about to go and inform my sister – or, if you prefer, you are – that Ms. Irene Adler somehow got herself into a witness protection scheme in America. New name, new identity. She will survive – and thrive – but no one involved with that huge problem will see her again."

Lily shrugged. "Why would she care? All Adler was was another person involved in a case."

"My sister has connections to Sherlock Holmes, that is why she would care."

Lily blinked. "What does Sherlock Holmes have to do with this? Yeah, he was involved but–"

"She's dead," Wesley interrupted. Lily was confused and it was obvious. Wesley began to explain. "Ms. Adler was captured by a terrorist cell in Karachi two months ago and beheaded." Lily looked at him silently for several seconds, then quietly cleared her throat but did not speak, so Wesley continued. "Sherlock Holmes will not know of this, we cannot risk it." He leaned in closer. "So do not tell my sister the truth."

They both looked silently at each other for a moment. "So…" said Wesley. He pushed the wallet across the table towards Lily, then put his elbows on the table, clasped his hands in front of him and rested his chin on them. "…what should we tell Nightingale?"

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Parker was sitting in the living room and footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs, she spoke before Lily even came into view. "You've got news." Lily stopped in the doorway with the wallet in her hand. Parker didn't even lift her head from her book. "If it's about the Leeds triple murder, it was the gardener. Nobody else can read minds, so nobody else would know."

Lily cleared her throat, trying to think of the words. "Hi. Er, no, it's, um," she took a couple of steps into the living room, "it's about Irene Adler."

Parker looked up, somewhat confused. "Oh? Something happened? Has she come back? Why are you telling me?"

"No, she's, er…I just bumped into Wesley downstairs. He had to take a call."

Parker stood up and walked around the table towards Lily. "Why, exactly, are you telling me this?"

"Because she's, er…" She gazed at the floor for a long moment, then dragged in a sharp breath and raised her eyes to Parker's as her flatmate stepped closer, frowning. Lily knew that face. Parker was trying to read her mind. Don't think about the truth. Don't think about the truth. Don't– "She's in America."

Parker was silent for a long moment. "America?"

"Yeah. Got herself on a witness protection scheme, apparently. Dunno how she swung it, but, er, well, you know."

"What?"

"…Mr. Holmes won't–"

"What does Sherlock have to do with this?" Lily didn't answer and was trying frantically to come up with an excuse. Luckily, Parker changed the subject. "Is that her file?"

Lily nodded. "Yes. I was just gonna take it back to Wesley." She offered the wallet to Parker. "Do you want to…?"

Parker shook her head. "No thanks." She looked down at her book again.

"Hmm." Lily looked at her friend for a long while, considering her options. Eventually she stepped forward again. "Listen, actually–"

"Oh, but I will have the camera phone, though." She held out her hand towards Lily, not lifting her gaze from her reading.

Lily looked down at the phone. "There's nothing on it any more. It's been stripped."

"I know, but I…" Parker paused for a long moment before continuing. "I need to look at something."

"I've gotta give this back to Wesley. You can't keep it." Parker kept her hand extended and her eyes fixed on the book. "Parker, I have to give this to Wesley. It's the government's now. I couldn't even give–"

"Please." She extended her hand a little further. Lily looked at her, wondering what to do, then finally reached into the wallet, took out the phone and laid it gently into Parker's hand. Parker closed her fingers around it, drawing her hand back and putting the phone into her trouser pocket before returning her hand to the edge of the book. "Ta."

Lily raised the wallet. "Well, I'd better take this back."

"Yeah, probably."

Lily turned and walked out onto the landing, then paused, wondering whether to ask the question that had now come into her mind. After several seconds she turned round and came back into the living room. Parker still didn't lift her eyes from her novel. "Did you ever find out why Holmes and Adler were texting each other?"

Parker didn't bother looking up. "Nope."

Lily paced around in front of the kitchen door for a few seconds, wondering if there was anything more he could say, then eventually turned and headed off down the stairs. As soon as she was out of sight, Parker raised her head and gazed across the room for a moment, then she reached down to her pocket, pulling out Adler's phone, calling up the only thing that wasn't stripped. The saved messages. Standing up and walking to the window, she scrolled through the messages sent by "The Woman". They went on for a long time and Parker found them amusing to read:

_I'm not hungry, let's have dinner._

_Bored in a hotel. Join me. Let's have dinner._

_John's blog is HILARIOUS. I think he likes you more than I do. Let's have dinner._

_I can see tower bridge and the moon from my room. Work out where I am and join me._

_I saw you in the street today. You didn't see me._

_You do know that hat actually suits you, don't you?_

_Oh for goodness sake. Let's have dinner.  
I like your funny hat._

_I'm in Egypt talking to an idiot. Get on a plane, let's have dinner._

_You looked sexy on Crimewatch._

_Even you have got to eat. Let's have dinner._

_BBC1 right now. You'll laugh._

_I'm thinking of sending you a Christmas present._

_Mantelpiece._

_I'm not dead. Let's have dinner._

Then came the one reply Sherlock sent to her:

_Happy New Year_

And at the bottom of the list was Irene's last message to Sherlock:

_Goodbye Mr Holmes_

Parker looked down at the final message for a long time before lifting her eyes and gazing out at the pouring rain. She tried to figure it out from what she had read from Lily's mind and from everything else about the case.

Parker smiled to herself as she figured it out, then chuckled to herself as she tossed the phone into the air and caught it again, she looked at it for a couple of seconds. "The Woman." Opening the top drawer of a nearby cabinet, she put the phone into it and withdrew her hand. "The Dominatrix." She lifted her head and gazed out at the rainy city for a while, then turned and walked away. "Irene Adler…Well played."

**I wanted to add more Golden Trio, but the password reveal is too epic to change :D**


	17. Chapter 17

17: The Hounds of Baskerville - Part I

**Shmuuyaassyyy - Thank you! :D I saw your review :) *updates* Look where we've come to! Second to last episode of season two! *curls into a fetal position because of having just worked on the Reichenbach rewrite***

In 313G, the living room door burst open and Parker charged in, stopping just inside the room and slamming the end of a long pole down onto the ground. Sitting in her chair, Elizabeth looked round and her eyes widen at the sight of her flatmate, who was wearing jeans and a white shirt and whose arms, chest, and face were covered with blood – far too much blood for it to be her own – and who was holding a harpoon. She looked round to Elizabeth, breathing heavily. Lily walked into the room. "Okay, I got–" She stopped dead as she laid her friend. "What the he–"

"Well, that was tedious," said Parker. She grimaced down at herself. "And a ruined my only white shirt.

Elizabeth blinked. "You went on the Tube like that?!"

"None of the cabs would take me," Parker grumbled.

Lily raised a hand. "My question: ONLY white shirt?" Parker ignored this and walked out of the room.

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Later, Parker was back in the room having cleaned herself up and changed into a clean shirt and trousers with a blue (*ahem* TARDIS blue) dressing gown over the top. She was still carrying the harpoon and was pacing rapidly between the door and the window, looking round repeatedly at Elizabeth and Lily as they sat in there usual seats. Lily was flicking through the newspapers and Elizabeth was reading a book.

"Nothing?" asked Parker.

"Military coup in Uganda," Elizabeth said.

"Hmm."

Lily chuckled in amusement as she saw something in one of the papers. "Another photo of us with the, er…" She pointed to a photograph of Parker wearing the Belstaf coat. Parker rolled her eyes.

Elizabeth flipped a page in her book. She glanced at Lily. "I think we've corrupted Parker." Lily nodded in agreement.

"Nothing of importance?" Parker asked impatiently. She slammed the end of the harpoon onto the ground and roared with rage. "Come on!" She looked round at Elizabeth and Lily intensely. "Guys, I need some. Get me some."

"No, Elizabeth replied calmly.

"Get me some."

"No." Elizabeth pointed sternly at her. "Not in times like this, we agreed, no matter what."

Irritated, Parker leaned the harpoon against the table. "Anyway," said Lily, "you've paid everyone off, remember? No one within a two mile radius'll sell you any."

"Stupid idea. Whose idea was that?"

Elizabeth looked round at her and cleared his throat pointedly. Parker looked towards the door. "Mrs. Coleman!" She started hurling paperwork off the table as she searched desperately for what she needed.

"Look," said Lily, "Parker, you don't need it and we all know what happens when you do get it."

Parker spoke frantically as she continued her search. "Tell me where they are. Please. Tell me." As the Duo remained silent, Parker straightened up and then turned her most appealing puppy-dog eyes on them, hesitating before she spoke and almost forming the word a couple of times before actually speaking it. "Please.

"Can't help, sorry," said Elizabeth.

"I'll read some minds and let you know next weeks lottery numbers." Lily laughed loudly.

Parker sighed in exasperation. "Oh, it was worth a shot."

She looked around the room, then got inspired and hurled herself to the floor in front of the fireplace. Unearthing a slipper from the pile of papers in front of the unlit fire, she held it up and scrabbled about inside as Mrs. Coleman arrived at the door and came in. "Ooh-ooh!"

Parker continued rummaging about in the fireplace as she spoke almost sing-song. "My secret supply: where's my secret supply?"

"Eh?" wondered Mrs. Coleman.

"My chocolate! Where did you put it? Where is it?"

"You know you never let me touch your things!" She looked around at the mess. "Ooh, chance would be a fine thing."

Lily looked up at her. "I thought you weren't our housekeeper."

"I'm not," Mrs. Coleman said sternly.

Making a frustrated noise, Parker stomped back over to the harpoon and picked it up again. Behind her, Mrs. Coleman looked down at Lily and Elizabeth and Elizabeth did the universal mime for offering someone a drink. Mrs. Coleman looked at Parker again. "How 'bout a nice cuppa? Perhaps you could put away your harpoon."

Parker groaned. "Tea tea tea tea tea!" she said sarcastically. "Does tea contain any chocolate?" Mrs. Coleman merely sighed and left the room. Parker leapt onto the couch and started drumming a four beat rhythm with her fingers. "We need to get another case!" she said loudly. "PLEASE!"

"You've just solved one!" said Lily, equally as loud. "By harpooning a dead pig, apparently! Not to mention without us!"

With an exasperated noise, Parker got up, walked over to her armchair, jumped up in the air, and then landed in the seated position on her chair. "That was this morning!" She began drumming the four beat rhythm again. "When's the next one?"

Elizabeth looked at Lily. "I tell you, we corrupted her."

"Nothing on the website?" Lily asked. "After all, you said that your website is where the clients are coming from." Parker got up and walked over to the table, collected her laptop and handed it to Lily, who looked at the message on there while Parker stomped over the window and narrated part of it.

"'Dear Ms. Marie Kiehof. I can't find Bluebell anywhere. Please please please can you help?'"

"Bluebell?" Elizabeth asked, leaning over Lily's shoulder to get a look.

"A rabbit, Liz!"

"Oh…"

"Ah, but there's more!" Parker continued sarcastically. "Before Bluebell disappeared, it turned luminous, " she adopted a little girl's voice for the next three words, "'like a fairy', according to little Joanne; then the next morning, Bluebell was gone!" she said dramatically. "Hutch still locked, no sign of a forced entry–" She stopped and her expression became more intense. "What am I saying?" she asked herself. "This is brilliant! Phone Lestrade. Tell him there's an escaped rabbit."

"Are you serious?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's this, or Cluedo."

"Ah, no!" Lily said. She closed the laptop and got up to put it back on the table. "We are never playing that again!"

"Why not?" Parker pouted.

"Because you read our minds and figure out what cards we have," said Elizabeth. The doorbell rang. Elizabeth held up a finger thoughtfully as Parker and Lily looked towards the living room door. "Single ring," said Liz.

"Maximum pressure just under the half second," said Lily.

"…Client," they all finished together.

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Not long afterwards, a recording of a documentary was playing on the TV. Parker had taken off her dressing gown and exchanged it for a jacket and was sitting in her chair. Elizabeth had relocated to the dining table chair near Parker's while Lily sat on the couch, and a man was sitting in Elizabeth's chair. The documentary footage showed scenes of Dartmoor. Parker looked at it with interest.

"Dartmoor," said the presenter. "It's always been a place of myth and legend, but is there something else lurking out here – something very real?" There was some footage of "_Keep Out_" signs. The presenter walked along a narrow road. "Because Dartmoor's also home to one of the government's most secret of operations…" Parker's eyes flicked repeatedly between the screen and the man in Elizabeth's chair as the footage showed a large sign saying:

**AUTHORISED PERSONNEL ONLY  
YOU ARE NOW ENTERING A RESTRICTED AREA  
BASKERVILLE**

By this time Parker's eyes were permanently fixed on the newcomer – who was Henry Knight – as he watched the documentary anxiously. "…the chemical and biological weapons research centre which is said to be even more sensitive than Porton Down," the presenter continued. "Since the end of the Second World War, there've been persistent stories about the Baskerville experiments: genetic mutations, animals grown for the battlefield. There are many who believe that within this compound, in the heart of this ancient wilderness, there are horrors beyond imagining. But the real question is: are all of them still inside?"

The footage switched to an indoor scene where Henry was sitting in front of the camera talking to someone offscreen. A caption at the bottom of the screen showed him as 'Henry Knight, Grimpen resident'. "I was just a kid," on-screen Henry said. "It-it was on the moor." There was a cutaway to a child's drawing of a huge snarling dog with red eyes. The caption said, '_Henry's drawing (aged 9)_'. "It was dark, but I know what I saw. I know what killed my father."

Parker picked up the remote control and switched off the footage. "What did you see?" she asked.

"Oh," said Henry. He pointed to the television. "I…I was just about to say."

"If you don't mind, Mr. Knight, I like to do things in person."

"Yes. Sorry, yes, of course. 'Scuse me." He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a paper napkin and wiped his nose on it.

"In your own time," said Elizabeth.

Henry lowered the napkin. "Do you know Dartmoor, Ms. Kiehof?"

"No," said Parker, shaking her head.

"It's an amazing place," said Henry, slightly smiling. "It's like nowhere else. It's sort of…bleak but…beautiful."

Lily smiled. "Sounds lovely," she said.

"We used to go for walks," Henry continued, "after my mum died, my dad and me. Every evening we'd go out onto the moor."

Parker smiled. "Right. Sounds great. So…the night your father was killed…Where did that happen?"

Henry hesitated for a moment. "There's a place – it's…it's a sort of local landmark called Dewer's Hollow." He gazed at Parker who tilted her head at him as if to say, 'And...?' "That's an ancient name for the Devil." Parker pursed her lips.

Elizabeth shifted a bit in her seat. "Did you see the Devil that night?" she asked.

His face haunted with dark memories, Henry looked across to her and nodded. "Yes," he said in a whisper. "It was huge. Coal-black fur, with red eyes…It got him," he said tearfully, "tore at him, tore him apart." Parker watched him sympathetically. "I can't remember anything else. They found me the next morning, just wandering on the moor. My dad's body was never found."

"Hmm," mused Lily. "She looked across to the others. "Red eyes, coal-black fur, enormous: dog? Wolf?"

"Or a genetic experiment," said Parker. She looked away, thinking.

"Are you laughing at me, Ms. Kiehof?" Henry asked.

Parker looked back sternly. "I most certainly am not, Mr. Knight. Things like that are indeed real." She glanced at the other two superheroes and cleared her throat. "Don't doubt it."

Henry shook his head. "My dad was always going on about the things they were doing at Baskerville; about the type of monsters they were breeding there. People used to laugh at him. At least the TV people took me seriously."

"And, I assume, did wonders for Devon tourism," muttered Parker.

In an attempt to stop Parker from ruining anything, Elizabeth leaned forward to Henry. Parker sighed. "Henry," said Elizabeth, "whatever did happen to your father, it was twenty years ago. Why come to us now?"

Henry sat forward, staring at Parker. "I'm not sure you can help me, Ms. Kiehof, since you're so keen on mocking me." Parker looked somewhat hurt. Henry stood up and walked around the chair, heading towards the door.

Parker quickly read Henry's mind in an attempt to bring him back. "Because of what happened last night," she said.

Lily and Elizabeth both looked at Parker. They knew she had read Henry's mind and weren't sure why. Henry turned back towards them. "How…how do you know?"

"I'm a detective," Parker said with a shrug, "I'm suppose to find out these things quickly." She read Henry's mind again. "Oh, and if you would please wait before leaving to smoke that would be appreciated."

Henry stared at her, then glanced across to Elizabeth who averted his gaze and sighed. He looked at Lily who shrugged. Hesitantly, Henry walked back to the chair and sat down. "But how on earth did you find out all that?!"

"It's not important," Parker said a bit too quickly.

Henry blinked. "Well I heard you guys were good, but this…wow…"

Elizabeth cleared her throat. "Um, Henry, your parents both died and you were, what, seven years old? That must be a…quite a trauma. Have you ever thought that maybe you invented this story, this…to account for it?" Henry nodded a bit to Elizabeth.

"That's what Doctor Mortimer says."

"Who?"

"His therapist," said Parker.

Henry spoke almost simultaneously. "My therapist." He glanced at Parker briefly. "Louise Mortimer. She's the reason I came back to Dartmoor. She thinks I have to face my demons."

"And what happened when you went back to Dewer's Hollow last night, Henry?" Parker asked, reading his mind a bit more. "You went there on the advice of your therapist and now you're consulting a detective. What did you see that changed everything?"

Henry closed his eyes briefly. "It's a strange place, the Hollow. "Makes you feel so cold inside, so afraid."

Lily nodded. "Yes, very poetic but if I wanted poetry I'd read John's emails to Parker. Much funnier."

Parker sighed hard in an attempt to release the tension that might make her kill her flatmate. Parker continued looking at Henry, trying to ignore Lily. "What did you see?" Parker asked.

"Footprints – on the exact spot where I saw my father torn apart."

Looking somewhat interested, Parker leaned back in her seat.

"Man's or a woman's?" Elizabeth asked.

"Neither. They were…They were–"

"Is that it?" Lily asked. "Nothing else. Footprints. Is that all?"

"Yes, but they were–"

"No, sorry, Doctor Mortimer wins. Childhood trauma masked by an invented memory. Boring! Goodbye, Mr. Knight. Thank you for giving Parker false hope in a case." Parker glared at Lily.

"No, but what about the footprints?" Henry asked.

"Oh, they're probably paw prints; could be anything, therefore nothing." Lily leaned forward on the couch and flicked her fingers at Henry, gesturing him towards the door. "Off to Devon with you; have a cream tea on me." Standing up and putting on a sweater, Lily headed into the kitchen.

Henry turned in his seat to look at her. "Ms. Falda, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks, then slowly turned and came back to the kitchen doorway and stared down at Henry. "Say that again."

"I found the footprints; they were–"

"No, no, no, your exact words. Repeat your exact words from a moment ago, exactly as you said them."

Henry thought for a second, then slowly recited his words back to Crystal. "Ms. Falda, they were the footprints of a gigantic…hound."

Parker grinned. "We'll take the case." Parker stood and began to pace the room. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. It's very promising."

"No no no, sorry, what?" Elizabeth asked, looking back and forth between Lily and Parker. "A minute ago, footprints were boring; now they're very promising?"

Parker stopped and looked at Elizabeth. "It's nothing to do with footprints. Baskerville: ever heard of it?

"Vaguely."

"People keep it on the hush-hush. Sounds like a good place to start."

"Ah! You'll come down, then?" said Henry.

"No, I can't leave London at the moment. Far too busy. Don't worry – putting the other's onto it. No doubt they'll do fine." She walked over to Elizabeth and patted her shoulder.

"What are you talking about, you're busy?" Elizabeth asked. "We don't have a case! A minute ago you were complaining–"

"Bluebell, Elizabeth! I've got Bluebell! The case of the vanishing, glow-in-the-dark rabbit!" She looked at Henry. "NATO's in uproar."

"Oh, sorry, no, you're not coming, then?"

Putting on a regretful expression, Parker sarcastically shook her head sadly. Elizabeth groaned. "Okay." She stood up as Parker smiled smugly. "Okay." She sighed. "You want your chocolate? Too bad. I ate it! Okay?! No chocolate for you, sorry!"

Parker didn't look the least bit put out. "I don't need chocolate any more. I'm going to Dartmoor." She walked out of the living room. "You go on ahead, Henry. We'll follow later."

Henry scrambled to his feet. "Er, sorry, so you are coming?"

Parker turned and walked back into the room. "Twenty year old disappearance; a monstrous hound? I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

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Elizabeth was driving a rented Land Rover through Dartmoor. After much arguing over what do play on the radio, they came to a stop. A bit later, away from the road, Elizabeth had flown up to the top of a large stone outcrop is standing dramatically while Lily stood at the foot of it consulting a map and Parker was trying to climb her way up the rocks. Lily pointed ahead of herself at a large array of buildings in the distance. "There's Baskerville." She turned and points behind them. Elizabeth turned to look. "That's Grimpen Village." Lily turned and looked ahead of them again, checking the map for the name of the heavily wooded area to the left of the Baskerville complex. "So that must be…yeah, it's Dewer's Hollow."

When Parker got to the top she pointed to an area in between the complex and the Hollow. "What's that?"

"What?" Lily had binoculars around her neck and she lifted them and look more closely at the fencing and the warning signs. "Minefield? Not a hundred percent positive. Technically Baskerville's an army base, so I guess they've always been keen to keep people out."

"Clearly."

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Later, they drove into Grimpen Village and pulled into the car park of the Cross Keys inn. They all got out and walked towards the entrance of the pub, where a young woman who was apparently a tour guide was talking to a group of tourists. "…three times a day, tell your friends. Tell anyone!" The Trio walked past the group and saw that the tour guide was standing next to a large sign on which was painted a black image of a wolf-like creature with the words 'BEWARE THE HOUND!' above it. "Don't be strangers, and remember…stay away from the moor at night if you value your lives!"

Parker pulled her purple sweatshirt closer around herself as they walked towards the pub. The tourist group walked away from the guide. Once their backs were turned she put on a large shaggy wolf's-head mask. Lily, Elizabeth, and Parker walked into the pub, which had a blackboard outside advertising "Boutique Rooms & Vegetarian Cuisine". The guide ran over to a couple of the nearby tourists and roared. They flinched and the woman shrieked in surprise.

At the Cross Keys In, as Parker prowled around the pub and Lily unpacked the Land Rover of their luggage, Elizabeth was at the bar checking in. The manager and barman, Gary, handed her some keys. "Eh, sorry we couldn't do a double room for you girls."

"Oh, that's okay." She looked up at Gary. She handed him some money for the sandwich she had just bought. "There you go."

"Oh, ta. I'll just get your change."

"Thanks." As Gary went to the till, Elizabeth's glance fell on a pile of receipts and invoices which have been punched onto a spike on the bar. She frowned as she saw that one was labelled 'Undershaw Meat Supplies'.

Quickly, she reached out and ripped it from the spike, putting it into her pocket as Gary came back with her change. "There you go," Gary said, handing Elizabeth her change.

"I couldn't help noticing on the map of the moor: a skull and crossbones."

"Oh that, aye."

"Pirates?" Elizabeth joked.

"Eh, no, no. The Great Grimpen Minefield, they call it."

"Oh, right."

"It's not what you think," said Gary. "It's the Baskerville testing site. It's been going for eighty-odd years. I'm not sure anyone really knows what's there any more."

Nearby, Parker was still prowling around and then seemed to find something of interest at one of the tables.

"Explosives?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh, not just explosives," Gary said. "Break into that place and – if you're lucky – you just get blown up, so they say…in case you're planning on a nice wee stroll."

Parker lost interest in the table and wandered off again.

"Alright. I'll remember."

"Aye. No, it messes up tourism a bit, so thank goodness for the demon hound!" He chuckled. "Did you see that show, that documentary?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Quite recently, yeah."

"Aye. Bless Henry Knight and his monster."

"Ever seen it – the hound?"

"Me? No." Gary pointed out the door past Parker, where the tourist guide was just outside the pub and talking on her phone to someone. "Mary has. She runs the walks – the Monster Walks for the tourists, you know? She's seen it."

"That's handy for trade."

Gary turned to a man who was the inn's cook who had just arrived behind the bar carrying Elizabeth's sandwich. Meanwhile Parker turned and followed Mary as she walked away from the doorway. "I'm just saying we've been rushed off our feet, Billy," Gary said to the man.

"Yeah," Billy replied. "Lots of monster-hunters. Doesn't take much these days. One mention on Twitter and oomph." He looked at Gary. "We're out of WKD."

"All right," said Gary. He walked behind the bar again.

Billy turned to Elizabeth. "What with the monster and that ruddy prison, I don't know how we sleep nights. Do you, Gary?"

Gary stopped and put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him affectionately. "Like a baby."

"That's not true." He looked at Elizabeth. "He's a snorer."

Gary was embarrassed and tried to shut him up. "Hey, wheesht!"

"Is yours a snorer?" Billy asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth suddenly realized. "Oh," she said awkwardly. "No, no I'm not married." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Got any crisps?"

Outside, Parker swipes a half-eaten, abandoned sandwich from a nearby empty table and walked over towards Mary, noticing as she did so that she had a copy of the Racing Post in her trouser pocket. "So you like bets, do ya?" Parker muttered to herself.

Mary had gone over to another one of the tables and was just finishing her phone call. "Yeah…No. All right? Right. Take care. Bye."

"Mind if I join you?" Parker asked. Mary shrugged and gestured to the table. Parker put her plate down and sat on the bench on the other side of the table. "It's not true, is it? You haven't actually seen this…hound thing." She grinned in a friendly way.

Mary looked at him suspiciously. "You from the papers?"

Parker quickly shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Just curious. Have you seen it?"

"Maybe," said Mary secretively.

"Got any proof?"

"Why would I tell you if I did? 'Scuse me."

She stood up to leave just as Lily came over from unpacking the Land Rover. "I called Henry–" she began.

Parker talked over her. "Bet's off, Lily, sorry."

Lily sat down. "What?"

"Bet?" asked Mary.

Parker looked at her watch as Elizabeth walked over to join them with a sandwich of her own. "My plan needs darkness," said Parker. She looked up at the sky. "Reckon we've got another half an hour of light–"

"Wait, wait," interrupted Mary. "What bet?"

"Oh, I bet Lily here fifty quid that you couldn't prove you'd seen the hound."

Elizabeth started catching on and looked at Mary. "Yeah, the guys in the pub said you could."

Mary smiled and pointed to Parker. "Well, you're gonna lose your money, mate."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," repeated Mary. "I've seen it. Only about a month ago, up at the Hollow. It was foggy, mind – couldn't make much out."

"I see," said Lily, also catching on. "No witnesses, I suppose."

"No, but–"

"Never are," muttered Parker.

"Wait–" She showed Parker a photograph on her smart phone. "There."

Parker looked at the photograph which showed a dark-furred four-legged something in the distance but, with no scale amongst the surrounding vegetation, it was impossible to tell the size – or even the species – of the animal. She snorted. "Is that it? It's not exactly proof, is it." Mary showed the photo to Lily. "Sorry, Lily. I win." She picked up the stolen sandwich from the plate and made as if to eat it, although she never did.

"Wait, wait," said Mary. "That's not all. People don't like going up there, you know – to the Hollow. Gives them a…bad sort of feeling."

"Ooh!" Parker said sarcastically. "Is it haunted? Is that supposed to convince me?" She put the sandwich down.

"Nah, don't be stupid, nothing like that, but I reckon there is something out there – something from Baskerville, escaped."

Parker didn't bother trying to hold back her skeptical snigger. "A clone, a super-dog?"

"Maybe. Who knows what they've been spraying on us all these years, or putting in the water. I wouldn't trust 'em as far as I could spit."

Parker nodded to the phone photograph. "Is that the best you've got?"

Mary hesitated for a long moment, uncertain whether or not to continue, but eventually she spoke reluctantly, lowering her voice. "I had a mate once who worked for the MOD. One weekend we were meant to go to the theater but she never showed up – well, not 'til late. When she did, she was white as a sheet. I can see her now. 'I've seen things today, Mary,' she said, 'that I never wanna see again. Terrible things.' She'd been sent to some secret Army place – Porton Down, maybe, maybe Baskerville, or somewhere else." Mary leaned in closer. "In the labs there – the really secret labs, she said she'd seen…terrible things. Rats as big as dogs, she said, and dogs…" She reached into her bag and pulled something out, showing it to the girls. "…dogs the size of horses."

She was holding a concrete cast of a dog's paw print – but the print was at least six inches long from the tip of the claws to the back of the pad. Parker stared at it in surprise. Lily immediately pounced. "Er, we did say fifty?" As Mary smiled triumphantly, Parker reluctantly got out her wallet and handed Lily a fifty pound note. "Thank you."

Sulkily, Parker got up and walked away. Elizabeth finished her sandwich and followed her, Lily right behind.


End file.
